The Flying Spaghetti Monster was invented in 2005 by Bobby Henderson, as a protest of the Kansas Board of Education's insistence that intelligent design be taught alongside evolution in Kansas schools.  The tricky thing about the Flying Spaghetti Monster is that you cannot prove that he does not exist.  If it were conclusively proven that the Flying Spaghetti Monster (or FSM) did not exist, then let's face it, life would be a lot simpler.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster spawned a religion called Pastafarianism, the tenets of which were published in Henderson's book, The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.  Pirates are considered sacred beings in Pastafarianism, and all evidence of evolution was planted by the Flying Spaghetti Monster after a particularly severe drinking binge.  Also, there is a beer volcano in Heaven.

Although every Friday is a holy day under Pastafarianism, the month of December is particularly holy.  Rather than celebrating a single holiday like Christmas or Hanukah, Pastafarians  celebrate a vague month long period known simply as "Holiday."  It is analogous to Christmas, but (obviously) without all the Christ.

Pastafarians have been cheered in recent years by the increasing usage of the word "Holidays" to replace more loaded words like "Christmas."  This is seen as due to the growing influence of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, whose carb-y tentacles clearly reach all the way to Starbucks (which this year released some of its Christmas blend under the name "Holiday blend) and Walmart (which wishes shoppers a "Happy Holiday Season").

Crafts are a primary method of devotion to Flying Spaghetti Monster, and this is reflected in the official Pastafarian tenets.  Flying Spaghetti Monster crafts are particularly popular during Holiday, and include many knit, felted, and beaded miniature Flying Spaghetti Monster Holiday tree ornaments.  

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is typically described as being a plate of tangled spaghetti, intertwined with meatballs.  It bears some visual resemblance to Cthulhu, although it is difficult to know if this resemblance is intentional.  This becomes even more problematic with regards to crafts, considering the surprising volume of Cthulhu-related crafts, and the fact that many crafters who create a Cthulhu are often responsible for creating Flying Spaghetti Monsters.

Most aspects of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, as well as of Pastafarianism, were created as a direct satire of religious beliefs and the "Intelligent Design" movement.  The Flying Spaghetti Monster is often held up as being every bit as believable as God, and no less disprovable.  Thus, Pastafarianism contains many deliberate parallels to contemporary American Christian religion.  This includes a branch of climate belief which is modeled on the belief of some Christians that global warming is being caused by a lack of faith among Earthlings.  According to Pastafarianism, there is a direct correlation between the number of pirates (a number which has steadily dropped since the 1800s) and the volume of greenhouse gases (which have steadily increased since the 1800s).

Flying Spaghetti Monster itself apparently has no opinion on these matters, choosing instead to remain remote in its sky home.