At Ill. Capitol, It's a Festivus Miracle!

The Illinois state capitol's holiday decorations this year include a Nativity scene, a menorah—and a Festivus pole, courtesy of a teenage Seinfeld fan. Michael Tennenhouse  visited for the Blagojevich impeachment hearings, stumbled on the holiday displays, and got to thinking. "Religious displays should not be in public buildings," he told the Chicago Tribune.

So he applied for a permit to add a beloved nondenominational symbol—"the lady burst out laughing"—and before long, a decapitated pool skimmer in a Christmas tree holder joined the Hanukkah candles and baby Jesus in the capitol rotunda. In keeping with Festivus tradition, the pole is unadorned.
(More Festivus stories.)