Air your grievances in spirit of festivus

A Manitou Springs art gallery is celebrating an alternative winter holiday that’s designed for the rest of us.

Partners of the Green Horse Gallery at 729 Manitou Ave. on Saturday brought out their pole of grievances and unleashed their complaints in honor of Festivus, a fictional holiday depicted in the sitcom “Seinfeld.”

In the show, Jerry Seinfeld and friends visit Frank and Estelle Costanza, who celebrate the holiday in lieu of Christmas. Frank Costanza invented the concept after he fought another man for a doll at a department store on Christmas Eve — it’s a Festivus miracle!

In Festivus, there is no pine tree, but an aluminum pole. And there are no carols or reindeer games, but feats of strength and the airing of grievances — one person is picked to try to pin down the head of the household, and everyone complains about what others have done in the past year.

Gallery customers wrote messages on sticky notes to place onto a 6-foot pole held up by a red and green Christmas tree holder. No feats of strength, though.

“We couldn’t figure out how to do it without liability issues,” gallery partner Frank Gray said.

“My daughter and her husband need to move out!” said one message. “Too many short girls around here!” said another note on the pole.

“We’re taking that emotion and drive of being uncommercial on Festivus, and we’re converting it into commercialism,” said Gray, who said he hoped the party would drive traffic to the business. “It’s just something that’s fun, inclusive and lighthearted.”

Tina Riesterer, another gallery partner, said that she wanted to do something silly and fun for the community, and that she intends to hold Festivus every year.

“Our customers here are livelier, and they want to have fun,” she said. “People in Manitou like a challenge, and they like to be involved.”

Customer Harvey Album said he didn’t know what Festivus was, that he and his wife, Kay, never watched “Seinfeld.” But he said he liked the idea of dedicating holidays for other purposes.

“I’d like to have a holiday to get my son married,” he said. “Holidays are great things. There should be more of those.”