There must be a few Seinfeld fans at Google: The search giant has included a nod to the show in searches for "Festivus," a Christmas alternative from Seinfeld involving the airing of grievances, feats of strength, and a sturdy aluminum pole — the last of which starkly accompanies your search results.
Festivus was popularized during the 1997 holiday season, when the Seinfeld episode "The Strike" aired, introducing millions to the holiday created by George Costanza's father as an alternative to the commercialism of Christmas. Its emblem, a plain aluminum pole which stands in place of a tree. As Frank Costanza puts it: "It requires no decoration."
Interestingly, the fake holiday was actually adapted from a real fake holiday celebrated by one of Seinfeld's writers, Daniel O'Keefe. He adapted his own family's traditions (also called Festivus), dating back to 1966, for the show's purposes.
The holiday became a sort of cult classic, and is remembered and celebrated to this day — as Google seems to know. The Festivus pole adorning your search results isn't the only Google Easter egg by a long shot; A list of them is maintained here, from holiday-specific themes like this one to more involved ones like "do a barrel roll" and "ASCII art." Some of the holiday ones don't work currently, suggesting they have yet to be activated — or Google is planning new ones this season.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.
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