The surviving historical record
Confirmed observances, surviving artifacts, and the documented record of a tradition older than its name.
The documented editions
The named archive begins in 2020. Family history places the two-year-gap tradition decades earlier.
September 13 and December 10
Opening Day posts from Kenn and Sarah name the holiday, honor Sarah's birthday, and show the first official Kennfestivus shirt.
September 13 and 18
The annual opening proclamation returns, and the matching of the socks is named as a favorite Kennfestivus tradition.
September 13
Sarah describes the season as 89 days and records the increasingly official use of the Kennfestivus tagline.
December 11
The closing record documents branded shirts, impromptu signs, public greetings, and the return to the usual one-year age difference.
December 11
Sarah is in her 50s while Kenn remains in his 40s, giving the age-decade contrast its own special observance.
September 13 to December 11
Kenn opens the season by celebrating Sarah's birthday. Sarah closes it when Kenn turns 50 and the usual age difference returns.
The annual two-year gap was family lore for decades, known simply as "the two-year gap" or "the 'my old lady' period." The Kennfestivus name appears to have emerged shortly before 2020. The archive identifies 2020 as the earliest documented named Kennfestivus and the year of the first official shirt, not the beginning of the holiday itself.
A separate ceremonial distinction
The Archives preserve every documented year. Kennfestivus Decades, always plural, are the special celebrations that occur every eight years.
These observances give extra ceremony to the contrast between Kenn's decade and Sarah's. The 2024 and 2025 records preserve the classic example of Kenn remaining in his 40s while Sarah is in her 50s.
The Archives record the years. Kennfestivus Decades distinguish the especially consequential ones.