Local Festivus gatherings for an alternative holiday

It's a Festivus for the rest of us. Do the holidays the Seinfeld way.

A traditional Festivus gathering will take place on Sunday, Dec. 21 at Grey Lodge Pub (6235 Frankford Ave.), where they'll be pulling out all the stops: Festivus pole, Airing of Grievances, meatloaf dinner and more. From 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., the bar will challenge attendees with Feats of Strength — both physical and mental — like holding out the "Big Mug o' Pennies" and arm wrestling. Though, if you're into making your own rules, original Feats of Strength are more than acceptable. Throughout the night, an open-mic style Airing of Grievances will be happening, Seinfeld trivia will go down, and special holiday songs will be performed, like "Frothy the Snowman" and "I Saw Daddy Punching Santa Claus." The night's draft list includes Troegs Mad Elf, Sly Fox Christmas, Manayunk Festivus, Evil Genius Naughty or Nice and others.

A Christmas Eve jam session at Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) featuring JAH People, West Philadelphia Orchestra, Circadian Rhythms and more, dubbed the First Annual Festivus, will bring the groove-loving Philly community together on Wednesday, Dec. 24 for an 8 p.m. show.

Scrabble can be considered a Feat of Strength, right? A three-day tournament, Delaware Scrabble Festivus, featuring 20 games runs from Wednesday, Dec. 24 through Friday, Dec. 26 in which players of the word game will face off at the Embassy Suites Newark (654 S. College Ave., Newark, Del.). Starting at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, the tournament also features a mini "late birds" tourney from Friday, Dec. 26 through Sunday, Dec. 28 with only eight rounds of play.