Seinfeld: The Best Christmas Traditions To Borrow From The Show
Between Festivus, George and his fake charity Christmas cards and Kramer as Santa Claus, Seinfeld was full of great moments that surrounded Christmas.
Sitcom Christmas episodes are lighthearted and fun, besides being mostly oriented around friends and family. And there’s no better way to invoke the spirit of Christmas than to rewatch a few heartwarming holiday specials.
The acclaimed sitcom Seinfeld never had an actual Christmas episode, although plots did center around the festive spirit of the holiday season. From George Costanza’s red-dotted sweater debacle and Festivus to teaching fans the meaning of the phrase, ‘on the wagon,’ the show hinted at Christmas in an educative, yet humorous way. This Christmas, borrow a few ideas from Jerry, Kramer, Elaine, and George to help bring in the festive cheer!
Help An Unemployed Friend
Season 3’s “The Red Dot,” makes mention of a Christmas party at Pendant Publishing. George has been unemployed for a while now and he and Jerry turn up at Elaine’s office Christmas party. It’s a festive time of the year, and the employer is serving alcohol. Elaine lets George know that Pendant is looking for a manuscript reader and she’s in charge of hiring. She takes advantage of the opportunity and introduces him to her boss, Mr. Lippman.
George bombs the interview and he’s never read anything more than the sports section of the newspaper. But thanks to Elaine, he gets hired despite being totally unqualified to work in a publishing/ literary agency. Helping an unemployed friend land a job during the holidays (if one can) is a great way to lift them up!
Comfort A Friend Who Lost A Job
Throughout the course of Seinfeld, George kept getting fired from jobs. The one that Elaine gets him with Pendant Publishing barely lasts a few days (considering he’s hired and fired during the Christmas season itself). While working late one night, George and the office cleaning lady Evie have a casual fling. She tries, in vain, to get him to commit and eventually ends up reporting the incident to their boss, Mr. Lippman.
Now, Evie might have let the whole thing slide if it wasn’t for cheapskate George appeasing her with a damaged cashmere sweater. Nonetheless, Lippman fired George. As he is cleaning out his desk, Jerry arrives right in time to take him out and cheer him up. What better way to console someone who has been laid off right in time for the holidays?
Do Good For Others
In “The Andrea Doria,” it’s revealed that Newman has been hiding eight bags of mail in Jerry’s storage locker. The two neighbors aren’t exactly on good terms with each other and Newman couldn’t care less about the undelivered mail because he’s been denied transfer to the most sought-after postal route – Hawaii.
Jerry helps deliver the mail, hoping that the post office will transfer Newman to Hawaii. “The Andrea Doria” isn’t so much about the Christmas spirit, nevertheless, there are things one can do in their spare time to help others around the holiday season.
All About The Christmas Spirit
When George’s car catches fire in “The Gum,” his friend, Kramer, graciously offers him his vehicle. “Well, don’t you sweat it, you can use my car any time you want to,” he says. Before walking off, Kramer pats his friend on the back and wishes him Merry Christmas!
The message in this episode is clear: this Christmas, spread a little festive magic by giving and sharing with neighbors, friends, and family. Lending things is a great way to get in the holiday spirit, after all.
Gifting Cedar Wood Cigar Boxes
Season 6’s “The Race” is also centered loosely around Christmastime. Besides Kramer gearing up to be a department store Santa, the word around the New York Yankees office is that George Costanza has embraced communism. This little workplace gossip interests his boss, Mr. Steinbrenner, and he has George travel to Havana to tap into the local baseball talent.
Just when George is about to walk out, Steinbrenner asks to bring him back some cigars from Havana. A few cedarwood cigar boxes would actually make the best gifts if one has a cigar aficionado on their gift list!
Be There For A Friend
“The Race” is a brilliant example of a friend helping another friend in need, especially during the holidays. Kramer’s good friend, Mickey Abbott, helps him land a job at Coleman’s department store. It’s a known fact Kramer neither had a stable source of income, nor the will to work much. He relied upon get-rich-quick schemes and odd jobs to earn his livelihood. And if all else failed, he knew he could mooch off of Jerry.
In this episode, Kramer gets hired as Santa Claus with Mickey as his elf. Although he tries to be funny with the kids, he also scares the bejesus out of them while trying to speak foreign languages. In the end, Kramer gets both of them fired for directing communist propaganda at the little children in the store.
Let Someone Know They Are Important
“The Pick” begins with George pining over his ex-girlfriend, Susan Ross. He lays on Jerry’s couch and grieves intensely about losing an intelligent and successful woman to his stupidy. George eventually succeeds in getting Susan back by promising her to be a better person.
Christmas is the perfect time to let someone know they’re loved. It is the time to be doing a little something extra for friends, such as offering them a little comfort and security.
Send Christmas Cards
Christmas cards add to the festive cheer of the holiday season and they are a great way to keep one’s friends and family close. In “The Pick,” Elaine mails out some Christmas cards to all her nearest and dearest. At the last minute, she agrees to give her cards a touch of custom charm by putting her picture on them.
Kramer takes Elaine’s portrait, but there is an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction during the shoot and Elaine ends up showing a lot more than she meant to. Not only is she humiliated, but her family and coworkers all give her a hard time about it. Holiday and Christmas cards are generally a great idea – but maybe hiring a professional photographer is best!
Christmas Donations
In “The Strike,” Bryan Cranston’s Dr. Tim Whatley donates money on behalf of his guests to a charity named ‘Children’s Alliance.’ George, Elaine, and Jerry are among the honored invitees to his party. They each receive a gift card from Tim, informing them that a donation has been made to the children’s charity in their name.
Donating to a charity in someone else’s name during Christmas is a great way to share the feeling that comes from doing good. And while George takes this idea a bit too far and uses it to his selfish advantage, contributing money to a good cause can make a huge difference in their lives.
Celebrate Festivus
Festivus was created as an alternative to Christmas by George’s father, Frank Costanza. For the show’s cheapskate family, lead by Costanza Sr., Festivus was a perfect way to celebrate a sustainable Christmas without all the capitalism and consumption that Frank despises about the holiday. Festivus also includes an undecorated Festivus pole instead of a Christmas tree made out of an aluminum pipe.
According to Frank, the tradition of Festivus begins with the airing of the past year’s grievances at the dinner. This is followed by the ‘Feats of Strength’ event, in which the head of the household is wrestled to exhibit their dominance. Though the concept of Festivus is a great tip for those looking for ways to reduce consumption this Christmas, many of its traditions are not such great ideas, in practice.
