Happy Festivus!
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118642)
Gainesville, Florida
December 23, 2017 10:49am CST
Today is the celebration of Festivus, the non-religious holiday originally intended to counter the commercialism that Christmas had become. Tradition has it that those celebrating Festivus begin by setting up the Festivus pole, and then sitting down to a Festivus dinner. Following the Festivus dinner, the airing of grievances will occur.
So, myLotters, gather around the Festivus pole and let the airing of grievances begin! What would you like to grieve today?
My first grievance is that this weather in Florida sucks. It's hot and muggy. I shouldn't be breaking a sweat in December.
23 people like this
23 responses
@snowy22315 (170763)
• United States
23 Dec 17
I reember Festivus from Seinfeld! It is pretty warm here at the moment..but no 70 degrees that the news promised. The house is 62 so I am not exactly breaking a sweat!
5 people like this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Dec 17
The episode of Seinfeld where Festivus was introduced to the world took place on December 28, 1997. One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes!
5 people like this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Dec 17
I would not mind your cold weather at all! At least it would help it feel more like the season here! Christmas just isn't the same when you are sweating from the heat! haha
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (459730)
• Switzerland
23 Dec 17
@moffittjc I fully agree, we spent Christmas in the Caribbean a couple of years. I did not like at all.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Dec 17
@LadyDuck Okay, I will be the first to admit I don't like it being hot on Christmas Day, but if I had the opportunity to spend Christmas in the Caribbean, I'd be there in a heartbeat! And then I would brag about it on Facebook and taunt everybody who is snowed under for the holidays! haha
Merry Christmas Anna! May Santa bring you everything you wish for this holiday!
2 people like this
@LovingMyBabies (85127)
• Valdosta, Georgia
24 Dec 17
I have to agree with you. The weather today was way too warm! Definitely doesn't feel like December.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Dec 17
I keep looking at the weather reports, because I thought it was supposed to cool down for Christmas Day. But here we are on the morning of Christmas Eve, and it's still warm and muggy. I'm not liking this at all!
@JamesHxstatic (29327)
• Eugene, Oregon
23 Dec 17
No sweat in Oregon, 35 degrees now and may get to 42 with rain today. This will be my last long shift at the bookstore.
Happy Festivus to you as well!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Dec 17
So what is your grievance you would like to air James? That you had to work all those long shifts?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (326432)
• Rockingham, Australia
23 Dec 17
My grievance is that I have to sew beanbags today ready for our cornhole toss game. My sewing (and my cooking), like the weather in Florida, sucks but it has to be done. I might need a good supply of chocolate to keep my spirits up - or maybe just some spirits to keep my spirits up! 
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Dec 17
@JudyEv I had to look up lupin as I had never heard of it before! lol A lot of people here who make their own bean bags use corn kernels as fill. Plastic pellets are also used, although corn kernels are cheaper and easier to get.
You weren't by any chance drinking some adult libations when you were throwing those bean bags in France?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Dec 17
Okay, this is the American in me coming out, but can't you just go to the store and buy the bean bags? Not sure if you have Wal-Marts in Australia (they are the #1 retailer in the world), but they sell everything, including bean bags for cornhole! That's where I bought my cornhole bean bags! Luckily, there is a Way-Mart store right down the street from where I live! haha
And someday if we ever meet up, we can play each other in cornhole! It's such a fun game!
2 people like this
@JudyEv (326432)
• Rockingham, Australia
25 Dec 17
@moffittjc I'll start practising ready for our match!! We looked up bean bags on the web but they were a couple of hundred dollars for a set. Maybe they sell them here in one of the stores (no Walmarts but we have similar shops) but I haven't seen them not that I've ever looked either. And they need to be a certain weight. Anyway they are now made and filled with lupins to the exact weight of 500 grams.
As long as I don't lob them in the swimming pool like I did in France (and I won't as we don't have one) we'll be set. If they get wet they might sprout and then we'll be in trouble.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Dec 17
We do tend to get a little indulgent around the holidays, don't we! Yes, I had the same problem...too many foods to eat and not enough stretchy pants to wear afterward! lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Dec 17
@YrNemo What are you doing up so early? lol
1 person likes this
@rebelann (111314)
• El Paso, Texas
23 Dec 17
I'd complain about the muggy but sure wouldn't mind the heat.
Lemme see ..... **rubbin my chin** ok, I got it, my grievance is that those dang cats don't like to go for rides, we could have so much fun if only they all would. The other grievance is that mom's 2 cats and my pup and cat don't get along yet. It's been over a year dangit.
Ok, I'm good, that's the only things I could think of.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (111314)
• El Paso, Texas
24 Dec 17
It's much worse here @moffittjc mine see the carrier and run n hide, I'm guessing you know how hard it is to find a hidden cat and worse is when found it's nearly impossible to pry it from it's haven.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Dec 17
Oh man, I remember how bad it was trying to get our cats in the car to take them to the vet on those many occasions over the years. Those cats would fight like tooth and nail to avoid getting in the car. I wonder why dogs love riding in cars but cats hate it? Seems really weird.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Dec 17
@rebelann It was the same with our cats! As soon as they would see us pull out the carriers, they would high-tail it out of there! Their favorite place to run and hide was under the beds, because they knew how hard it was for us to get them!
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
23 Dec 17
It is very cold and icy here and still raining and freezing!! Down right ugly!!
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
24 Dec 17
@moffittjc lol Don't make me slap you Jeff, so un-holiday like lol I hate this horrible weather but I wouldn't give up one minute of my time with my family. I will be in the sunshine soon enough, at this point I am just hoping that we don't have to drive through hell to get there .
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Dec 17
@BelleStarr At the end of the day, spending time with your family is the most important thing of all, and trumps anything else going on out there. Sorry that you have to deal with the horrible weather, but very happy for you that you get to be with your family!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Dec 17
You know, you could be in Florida right now! I'm just saying! lol
Like Jimmy Buffett says, "Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes..."
There will be a nice cold margarita waiting for you when you get here! I'll leave it sitting by the pool for you!
Merry Christmas!
1 person likes this
@PatZAnthony (14752)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
24 Dec 17
Festivus is a ton of fun for some of us, isn't it?
Yes, the Florida weather can be annoying at times, but there is no snow to shovel.
1 person likes this
@PatZAnthony (14752)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
26 Dec 17
@moffittjc We were in Florida involved with repairing damage, etc. and the temperature was great almost every day.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Dec 17
@PatZAnthony Yeah, it was horrible having to clean up and repair all the damage after the hurricane, especially with all the heat and humidity. And, it kept raining more and more, adding to the misery.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Dec 17
No, we don't have snow to shovel, we have sand! And yard debris to clean up after all our hurricanes! But yep, no snow! lol
1 person likes this
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
23 Dec 17
@moffittjc I'd gladly send you some, if I could. And happy 500th discussion here 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Dec 17
@pgntwo I hit the 500 mark? Wow, I didn't even catch that! I feel bad because I don't hardly ever write posts on here, I just spend most of my time commenting on other people's posts! So because of that I totally lost count of how many posts I had written (yes, I know...I could just look at my profile and it will tell me, but I'm too lazy for that!).
Merry Christmas to you! Can you tell me one Christmas tradition that you celebrate in Northern Ireland that may not be celebrated elsewhere in the world? I'm trying to learn how people in other countries celebrate the holiday!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Dec 17
That's probably warm for you, but that would be nice and cold for this Florida boy! lol
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40069)
• Laguna Woods, California
4 Jan 18
I hope you are staying warm down in Florida right now. It looks pretty frigid!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Jan 18
Us Floridians are dying down here! The problem between us southerners and all the northerners is that they are used to the cold and we're not. Heck, we don't even own jackets! We're totally unprepared for this weather. Sweatshirts and windbreakers just aren't cutting it right now against the cold. There are no heaters anywhere to be found in stores. Dammit if I didn't see Home Depot selling fans that last time I was in there. Talk about being unprepared! lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Jan 18
@DeborahDiane I hope we survive this cold weather too! Thank goodness it's a rare thing that doesn't happen every year!
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40069)
• Laguna Woods, California
5 Jan 18
@moffittjc - Hope you all survive! My sister lives in Missouri, but she went to Florida to visit her daughter and get out of the cold for awhile. I'm sure she is in shock!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Dec 17
You hush now Dianne, before I send cold weather down your way!
Yesterday was a picture-perfect day at Disney World, and I couldn't have asked for better Florida weather. It was days like yesterday that reminded me why I actually do like living in Florida!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Dec 17
@DianneN Winter is the only time of the year that Florida is a paradise. The rest of the year it is the fiery inferno of hell. Even Satan himself flees Florida in the summer!
1 person likes this
@DianneN (247219)
• United States
27 Dec 17
@moffittjc Ahhhh, so that's where you've been! It has been perfect since we've been here. Love Florida in the winter. It's a paradise to me.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (74873)
• East Tawas, Michigan
23 Dec 17
Airing my grievances, our families are both fighting most of the time. We want peace and stay away from it. I've never heard of Festivus, but it's a great idea.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (74873)
• East Tawas, Michigan
23 Dec 17
@moffittjc I sure will, thanks Jeff!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Dec 17
@kobesbuddy I was never a huge fan of the show Seinfeld, but that episode was downright funny! It is one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes!
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (74873)
• East Tawas, Michigan
23 Dec 17
@moffittjc I wish that we had seen that episode:)
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40246)
• United States
29 Dec 17
I love that episode of Seinfeld.
I will trade you some -7 (F) weather in MN for hot and muggy :-)
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jan 18
Sorry, I took to long to accept your offer! We've now gotten a taste of your freezing weather, so I have nothing warm to offer you right now! Although I suspect you would still exchange your negative degree weather for our 20-something degree weather!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Jan 18
@FayeHazel I could put on a pot of coffee or make some hot tea to share with you! Or maybe whip up a latte or something. I could use something nice and hot to drink right now. I am freezing!
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40246)
• United States
2 Jan 18
@moffittjc Ha ha. Nothing warm to offer? No coffee or tea even. lol.
Ah. yes. The past few days have been around negative -20. I would still gladly take your +20 :-)
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
23 Dec 17
thats what i say. plus the humidity is killing me. i always thought that was something Kramer made up on Sienfeild series/sitcom that Festivus thing.
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
24 Dec 17
@moffittjc oh i see. thanks for telling us about this history.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Dec 17
Apparently, Festivus was a thing long before it appeared on Seinfeld. The family of one of the writers on the show celebrated Festivus, so the writer wrote an episode about it. But no one had ever heard of Festivus until it appeared on Seinfeld, so the show generally gets credit for creating it!
1 person likes this
@much2say (53942)
• Los Angeles, California
23 Dec 17
Festivus - Hubby will delight in knowing today is Festivus . . . oh what would that George do 
? The weather here is a bit unpredictable . . . it's cold in the morning and evenings (cold in the Southern CA sense) but rather warm in between (maybe, maybe not, as today is rather gray outside). We hate not knowing how to dress!! 
- Hubby will delight in knowing today is Festivus . . . oh what would that George do ? The weather here is a bit unpredictable . . . it's cold in the morning and evenings (cold in the Southern CA sense) but rather warm in between (maybe, maybe not, as today is rather gray outside). We hate not knowing how to dress!! 1 person likes this
@much2say (53942)
• Los Angeles, California
24 Dec 17
@moffittjc Wow, it's really that warm there! Looks totally sunny today here - possibly even warm (it's not as cold this morning as it has been) . . . but I still don't know what I'll be wearing today 
.
Merry Christmas to you too!
.
Merry Christmas to you too!1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Dec 17
Well, I will have to say that one thing good about living here in Florida is that we know what to dress for each morning when we wake up...shorts, tank tops and flip flops! lol
Merry Christmas!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Dec 17
@much2say This morning started off really muggy and warm, but it has cooled off since then. There's a small colorant coming through today, so we'll have a little relief on Christmas Day, with highs in the low 70s.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (36536)
• Toccoa, Georgia
28 Dec 17
I remember Festivus for the rest of us, from the Seinfeld episode with George Costanza, LOL. One thing I can complain about is the opposite from what you are complaining about. It has been so cold here , I wish I was in South Florida swimming or laying on a beach!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jan 18
Come on down and visit us! Although I will say that you do not want to come down this week, as we are going to have temps in the low 20s for the next 4 days. Might want to wait until this arctic blast goes away, and then you can come visit us!
1 person likes this
@bluesa (15023)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
24 Dec 17
sorry about the hot and muggy weather @moffittjc. Welcome to my summery world, add on humidity and mosquitoes and happy December!1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Dec 17
I asked Santa to bring me one gift for Christmas, a nice cold Christmas Day! Despite the fact that I was mostly naughty all year, Santa came through and brought me a beautiful cold day! No snow of course, but I actually had to put on long pants and a jacket, so I'll take it!
Thanks Santa!
1 person likes this
@bluesa (15023)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
27 Dec 17
@moffittjc that's awesome. I am happy Santa overlooked your naughtiness and brought you the gift you wanted! I finally have cooler weather today and am also enjoying it.
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (95061)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
4 Jan 18
I guess the old saying holds true. "For every event comes the parody or answer to an event." For example Raspberries is an award for worst movie just like the Oscars is for the best movie.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Jan 18
We have to keep the universe in balance. You know, the whole ying and yang, or good vs evil. lol
@teresatrotter (4073)
• Jacksonville, Florida
5 Jan 18
I think you got your wish. Florida is no longer hot and muggy.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118642)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Jan 18
Hey Teresa, how are you? Happy New Year! I didn't know you were still on this site!
Yeah, I got my wish and then some! We even got some snow on Tuesday! How soon 'til summer is here? lol
@teresatrotter (4073)
• Jacksonville, Florida
7 Jan 18
@moffittjc - I have had my ups and downs. I have always been here. I just got pissed off at the myLot administration, and needed to be away for awhile. LOL But I never actually "officially" left. I have done several posts lately though... We did not get any snow in Jacksonville. Happy New Year to you too.
1 person likes this
