Dec. 23 Festivus Miracle

"Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way," said Frank with a faraway look in his eye. Kramer asked him "So what happened to the doll?" Frank answered, "It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born. A Festivus for the rest of us."

It's getting that much closer, my thirsty readers, so welcome back once again! Most of us have probably seen, or at least heard of, the Festivus episode from Seinfeld. An anti-commercialism alternative to Christmas, we've come to know December 23rd as a pivotal reference in pop culture, but there's a bit more to the root of this day, than most of us know.

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The history of this holiday creation is actually pretty sweet. Writer Daniel O'Keefe created Festivus back in 1966, as a family holiday, to commemorate his first date with his wife Deborah. Sadly, Deborah passed away in 1976, and the rest of the family carried on the tradition. They began using the phrase "Festivus for the rest of us," as a commemoration to those who have past. "The rest of us," meaning those who are still living.

O'Keefe's son told the other writers on Seinfeld about his family's made-up holiday, and the Festivus episode was born. On the episode, George's father, Frank, is credited for creating the alternate winter celebration, and Kramer takes to it fully. He even claims the existence of several "Festivus Miracles."

When you think about it, a non-commercial alternative to Christmas doesn't sound like such a terrible idea, especially with the way the world has become. We could all sit around at our Festivus feast, and we could air our grievances. I know there would probably be a lot to air this year.

When you see the Festivus pole, it looks like a giant aluminum swizzle. Naturally, we needed a nice, rich, holiday swizzle for today. Have fun with this one, and remember not to take things too seriously. Afterall, is there anything in life we can't handle after the year we've all had?

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Festivus Miracle

1.5oz 151 Proof Guyanese Rum (I know I've been hitting this particular style of rum a lot during these Christmas drink, but with those rich toffee flavors, Guyana rum just seems to fit the bill for those holiday flavors so often. If you aren't sure which to use, I generally go with either Hamilton or Lemonhart.)

1oz Cherry Heering

.5oz Falernum

.5oz Vanilla Syrup

.75oz Lime Juice

5 dashes Angostura Bitters

2 dashes Absinthe

Tall footed Pilsner or collins glass.

Fill halfway with crushed ice and swizzle until the drink is at a preferred dilution.

Top with crushed ice.

Garnish with mint sprigs, orchid, and freshly grated mace.

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With two more days left, I'm sure you're getting pretty tired of reading my nonsense every day. Never fear, there are but two more drinks left. Let's go out with a bang, shall we? Hopefully you're about done with all the Christmas stress in your life, so you can just sit back and relax. Who know, maybe you'll even have a chance to air some grievances this year. Until next time, keep on wrapping, and keep shaking.