What the Hell is Wind Chill and Festivus

I have often asked myself that question. It usually occurs in my head (as most of my discussions do) when I’m outside freezing my nips off just trying to get a little bit of cold air down into my lungs to continue the process of life. The nice folks at Slate, specifically Daniel Engber, wrote a great article explaining the history of this wonderful, meteorological statistic that explains “how we should feel” in cold weather. Take some time to read on especially if you have no idea (like I did) how these weather men (and weather bunnies) come up with their numbers.

It’s December 23rd and that means it’s time for Festivus. One day in 1997 what was supposed to be a throwaway mention in a Seinfeld episode became an international sensation with its own real-life following. In fact, here in DC we have our own Festivus Board (see picture) where you can post your grievances. But what are the real origins of the holiday? It turns out that it really wasn’t “invented” on Seinfeld but rather a real event in the life of writer Dan O'Keefe. He grew up with his family celebrating the holiday which his father created to celebrate his first date with his soon to be wife (Dan’s Mom). I’m looking forward to adding his book The Real Festivus to my reading list.

With that I will leave you for a few days to air my grievances to my family.