It’s time for another Wacky Wednesday and this one is a little more eventful than the previous couple of Wednesdays. Not by much. I’m guessing there are fewer things to celebrate in December because there’s too many other things to celebrate. Our first word is Leasing-Monger. Leasing is an old term for falsehood making a leasing-monger a habitual liar. That could be why leasing a home or car doesn’t lead to ownership. I’m speculating here. Then we have Loiter-Sack. This term is a 17th century word for a slacker or a lazy good-for-nothing. Loiter-Sack sounds like the perfect word for a slacker.
Our token food holiday for the day is also a fun word to say, National Pfeffernusse Day. Pfeffernusse, a German spice cookie, are fluffy cookies made with ground nuts and spices and covered in powdered sugar. They are popular holiday treats. National Roots Day is a day to learn about one’s family history. Since most people travel home, or visit nearby family, for the holidays, it makes since that this would be the time to talk about the family’s past. Finally, we have Festivus. Each year on December 23rd, Festivus commemorates a holiday episode of the television comedy, “Seinfeld.”
In 1997, the popular television comedy brought Festivus to the masses when Frank Costanza (played by Jerry Stiller) explains he invented the holiday in response to the commercialism of Christmas. Its slogan is “A Festivus for the rest of us.” The idea of this holiday is to not take things too seriously including politics and religion. One tradition on this holiday is the voicing of grievances during a traditional dinner. Whatever you do for this day, make sure you enjoy some spice cookies and call out your family for being Leasing-Mongers and Loiter-Sacks.
James Pack 