MILWAUKEE, Dec. 22 Festivus may have begun as a comedy protest of the commercialization of Christmas but it ' s bringing business to one Wisconsin maker of Festivus Poles. The aluminum pole was always a big part of Festivus and the Wagner Companies sells aluminum pipe, and I said, 'Gee, we could certainly make an aluminum Festivus pole,'" Tony Leto told the Milwaukee Journal Times.Festivus, a non-denominational holiday celebrated on Dec. 23 and launched on the Dec. 18, 1997, episode of Seinfeld started out as a joke. But it ' s caught on, if visits to the Wagner Festivus pole Web site are any indication. Last year, in the week before Festivus day, festivuspoles.com had about 100,000 visits, Leto told the newspaper. Wagner sells two Festivus pole models -- a 6-foot floor model for $38 and a 2-foot, 8-inch tabletop model for $30.Copyright 2006 by UPI
