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Thirteen Days of Festivus Contest

Our readers may have noticed that we don’t discuss politics or get into religious discussions on Traveling Mamas. Why? Because this is a blog about travel. So in honor of all those celebrating whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year, Traveling Mamas is officially celebrating Festivus for the Rest of Us.

The CajunMama household will be placing a Festivus Pole (a green product with very high weight to strength ratio) at our home and we just might make a donation to The Human Fund, to go along with our philanthropic efforts with Passports with Purpose and Five & Alive. Even the great State of Washington is recognizing Festivus as a legitimate celebration.

While those other blogs may have the traditional 12 days of Christmas Giveaways, we decided to celebrate with Thirteen Days of Festivus Giveaways. Each day (starting Dec 11, 2008) we will randomly give away an item from our Holiday Gift Guide. While we are admittedly cleaning our office space to start fresh in the new year, these aren’t “gifts that we don’t want that the recipient doesn’t want either,” (per Festivus tradition). Each is a nifty travel item, with a maximum value of $70.

All you have to do is leave a comment on TravelingMamas.com from Dec 11 until midnight Dec 23. For a bonus entry leave a Tweet on Twitter using the code #festivus. You can follow us @travelingmamas, @cajun_mama, @desertmama, @mudslidemama, and @karasw.

A new winner will be announced each day until Dec. 23, the official day of Festivus (or until we run out of swag). Maybe we’ll experience a Festivus Miracle and some new sponsors will jump on board.

And now, let the “Airing of Grievances” begin.

For those who are unfamiliar with Festivus, please see this Wikipedia page or purchase the book. US entries only, please, and if you have an issue with this, please save it for the Airing of Grievances.


Festivus Prizes and Winners:
Orbitz Gift Basket
VW Logo Items
Bug Bam!
Pacifier Pouch
Travel Humidifier
Organic Skincare
DisneyWorld Book
iPod Compatable Translators
UV Sanitizing Wand
Putamayo Kids CDs
Posh Pouch
Monster Cable Power Strip
Plane Quiet Headphones

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214 Comments

  1. Why, I just happen to have a medium-sized collection of talking dolls that no one wants, and only some of them are broken! The perfect Festivus gifts, and I’ve had them all along – who knew?

  3. This makes me laugh!! I didn’t know others celebrated Festivus. My favorite part is the airing of grievances. I always make a huge list. LOL

    THanks for the giveaway.

  4. Can I air my travel grievances in honor of Festivus…

    To the family of a small child who cries/screams on the plane. Where is the pacifier/sippy cup/bottle?

    To the people at the amusement park, please do not stop in the middle of the walk way and hold up everyone else.

    To the cab driver in a foriegn city, please do not assume I am stupid and try to charge me double or extra because I am a girl or not a local.

    To the rental car company, an upgrade is not a Grand Marquis with 20,000 miles on it.

    To the hotel, bottled water should not cost 10.00 no matter where it is from.

    To the airline, if you lost my luggage, do not put me up in a 2 star hotel across from a pawn shop and liquor store and expect me to be happy.

    Happy Festivus!!

  5. To almost everyone in airport baggage halls:

    Standing up close to the carousel with your trolley so that no-one else can get near it will NOT get your luggage any faster.

  12. Top Ten Travel Destinations post appealed to me, especially the part recommending Maui. Winters there are decidedly kind to travelers.

    Thank you for the contest. Best wishes for happy holidays and a prosperous 2009!

  17. wow this souns realy grate i love to try and well win some thing also i be puting your button on my blogpage to let other know abt this as well please enter me in thanks

  18. I am a champion re-gifter myself!! Nothing wrong with that so go ahead..clean out those closets as much as you want!

  22. Familiar with Festivus, I would also recommend the book, Pagan Everyday by Barbara Ardinger! (And no I don’t know her, am not related to her, nor do I work for a publisher!)

  30. Thanks for all the great reviews and this giveaway! I love surprises, thanks for adding some fun to the holidays!

  34. The BugBam! bracelets sound like a good alternative to smelly mosquito repellents – do they smell?

  37. I think regifting is fine as long as you believe the giftee will like it (and you’re absolutely sure that the giftee wasn’t the gift giver in the first place).

  49. Thanks for providing information and prices of different variety of Cruise. I need
    this info because i am using online shopping services.
    Thanks

  50. girlfriends, i am laughing SO hard!! thank you!! we love festivus. one time we were visiting ohio state (my husband’s alma mater) and about 6 houses in a row had a festivus pole in their front yards! yes, i took a photo! 🙂 thanks!

  68. Thanks for providing information and prices of different variety of Cruise. I need this info because i am using online shopping services.
    Thanks

  69. Only true Seinfeld junkies would honor Festivus – for the restuvus! Whoda thunk that ten years after its last episode, it’s still alive and kicking (thanks to syndication and addicts like you and me!) Great idea! Happy Holidays, ladies!

  82. I really hate commercials and that have to buy toy – drives me crazy and what are people thinking waiting in line for a toy a toy I say???
    Happy Festivus

  84. Please Help Benita

    Benita, 46, is fighting for her life. She was diagnosed
    with breast cancer in October 2008. It is a fast-
    growing, aggessive type of cancer. She is presently
    engaged in this battle with the help of Cancer
    Institute of St. Louis, Missouri. She has great doctors
    helping her, but her medical insurance doesn’t cover
    the expensive treatments in full. However, Benita is
    continuing to work and help raise her 2 granddaughters, the joy of her life. She is not, nor
    has ever been, the type of person to ask for help. Her chemo treatments are debilitating and she can not continue to work 40 hours, which is necessary to stay insured.

    Benita is my cousin…but more like a sister. We were
    raised by our grandmother, whom we lost to lung
    cancer in 2004. She was the only family we had.
    Benita is known in Cedar Hill, MO as “The Dollar General” lady. She has worked there for three years
    and is well known for her contagious humor, upbeat
    attitude and wacky holiday hats. She is a friend to all who know her and a treasure to her family. Her magnetic personality and unbelievable knack for
    one-liners are her trademarks. There is so much more that this beautiful person has to offer that mere words
    can not explain it, and the world without her would be
    a much darker place.

    This letter is to ask for any contributions to help
    Benita cover the ongoing expenditures of this
    terrible disease. Monetary donations would be used
    to help offset the 12 weeks of chemotherapy and
    reconstructive surgery she has yet to endure.
    We also request items to be donated to help us raise money at a Benefit that will be held in her honor on January 17, 2009, at the VFW Post 5331 in Cedar Hill, MO, from 3 to midnight. We are hoping for donations of items to be raffled, such as electronics, hunting or fishing gear, or T-shirts. These are only examples, and anything would be greatly appreciated.

    If you feel that you or your organization could or would help in any way, please contact Chris Liminois
    (951) 660-1311. The tax ID# for any contributions
    is 90-0430389. Items can be shipped to Benita Clary, 6601 Bandstand, Cedar Hill, MO 63016. Again, all help is appreciated, and
    thank you for your consideration.

    Sincerely,

    Chris Liminois
    “Semper Fi”
    USMC

  101. Festivus is the most wonderful time of the year
    There are bloggings for bloggers
    and …..
    You will have to wait til tomorrow for rest of song LOL

  105. great giveaway and to the people in line with 50 items let the person go in front of you that only has 2 I always do

  106. Thanks for the contest. To all the people who cut me off on the road, don’t use blinkers, or the ones that bump into you in the mall and give you the dirty look. *sigh*

  112. and hand me down shoes for the joggers..
    oh festivus is the most wonderful time of the year
    more to follow I have more than a few days left right.

  113. Oh festivus pole, Oh festivus Pole, you are a Seinfeld invention … Alright, we need some festivus carols

  116. My city is having a blizzard – and although it’s difficult to walk around in waist-high snow (and the dog wants to be walked twice as long while I would rather cut the walk in half now!), it’s still heartwarming to see people helping each other carrying groceries and with shoveling out their cars from under the snow, which seems to happen every year around the holidays!

  119. I would like to say to all my first year of entering contest has been so exciting.
    I know we all celebrate the holiday season in so many different ways that I would like to say to all. Have a very happy holiday season and may all your dreams and wishes become reality may your days be filled with love, joy and laughter.
    Good luck to all in the coming new year.

    camper223[at]live[dot]com

  126. I hate when they start with the Christmas carols and it isn’t even HALLOWEEN yet…I mean I love Christmas…but STILL…!!!! And it keeps starting earlier every year…before we know it..it will be labor day and they will be piping in “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!!”

    Ok…down off my soap box..

    Grumble, grumble…

  133. My grievance is to the person who designed airplane seats for and twig sized people. May you be buried in a coffin two sizes too small.

    Happy Festivus to everyone else!

  143. Happy festivus!! I really prefer the feats of strength to the airing of the grievances, but one grievance I would like to air that is travel related is that now that gas prices are going down and more stable the airlines and cruiselines haven’t taken the fuel surcharges off or lowered their prices commensurately.

  145. For traveling, a nifty pocket blender for making shakes or smoothies would be my idea of a gift!

  147. Economy has me down so no traveling here, but at least we have snow for sledding with the kids.

  161. Happy Holidays everyone and best wishes to all for a healthy and happy New Year! Festivus is Fabulous!

  165. Interesting name for a giveaway. I hope I win. Here in Seattle someone has petitioned to have a Festivus sign up.

  168. i just heard about festivus for the first time a week ago. We had a party in our office for it and watched the episode.

  170. This is such a great giveaway. I really hope I win. Happy Festivus. Thanks for the opportunity.

  179. Two days before Christmas. Not enough time in these two days. This is going to be short, but hopefully sweet by winning something.

  185. Festivus is Fantasticus! Happy Holidays to everyone! I have to start some cooking and baking shortly! Both sets of my children’s grandparents are coming into town tomorrow and staying with us! The house fill be filled with our 3 children, 6 adults and 2 dogs for the next 4 days, Yikes! I was up until 1 am last night wrapping gifts so at least that is out of the way! Now to put my cooking mits on! Happy Holidays to All!

  187. I must admit, I’m one of the people who didn’t get into Seinfeld at all. However, any excuse for giving away free stuff is all right with me!

    I found a couple of grievances, though, about items in your Holiday Gift Guide. How can TravelSmith say that all dresses fall to mid-calf when calves are different lengths, or heights, if you prefer? The average mid-calf dress falls to the ankles of short people like me.

    The Cold Seat is a fabulous idea for making children comfortable in the heat, but I am really concerned that some parents might think it’s now okay to leave their children in the car in summer. I used to work in the news business, and I saw stories from all over about how someone forgot the child in the car or they intended to be inside for “just a minute” and when they returned, the child was dead. Maybe if the seat could be wired up so that if a child is in the seat and the surrounding temperature gets too high, that the car horn would go off. That’s very complicated, but it could save lives.

    I did find a lot of really cool items, though, stuff I’d love to have for myself or give away.

  188. Here is my grievence for the year: I am tired of SNOW. Stop snowing! Thank you! I would love to win!

  192. Thanks for the contest. I am dreaming of a cruise next year. I have been reading the information you have posted on cruises.

  193. Thank you for the article “Check for Carbon Monoxide Monitors in Vacation Homes”. This is something I’ve never thought of.

    Please enter us in your contest.

  196. Thanks for having this contest. Happy Holidays to all. Articles on safety for apply to all year round.

  201. Happy Festivus! Regifting is my second nature. People at airports awaiting their luggage – the entire family with luggage cart makes you wonder if they have that many bags.

  202. Aaah, Festivus! I love it! Now on with the airing of grievances and then to the wrestling! We still crack up thinking of that episode!

  204. I do not know why others do not add the extra day. Is it not like a baker’s dozen, you are supposed to add an extra one?

  208. You like to travel to avoid the in-laws, maybe best to have them over and cook them a Christmas dinner?

  211. All the products reviewed here are awesome!
    I would count myself very lucky to win any one of them!
    Thanks & Happy Holidays!

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