While Thanksgiving has traditionally been a holiday celebrated with family, a new trend has emerged in recent years. Friendsgiving is the term used to describe celebrating this special holiday with close friends. Regardless of if this is because you are not near family on the day or simply because you want to gather your closest friends over the holiday to enjoy food and company, Friendsgiving is a tradition that many Americans have come to love.
Here are a few things to consider when planning a Friendsgiving for your group of friends.
One of the best things about a Friendsgiving, when compared to a traditional Thanksgiving, is that you can break the mold. You should not feel obligated to serve a classic Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the ordinary side dishes.
By the time your Friendsgiving rolls around, people may be tired of Thanksgiving-inspired food. This makes it a good idea to get creative with a completely different theme. Maybe you want to host a Mexican fiesta? Or perhaps you want to go with an Italian feast? The goal is simply to bring everyone together, regardless of the food that is being served.
Go With a Potluck
Making it a potluck dinner will get everyone involved while taking some of the burdens off of the host. You can make it more interesting by asking everyone to bring a favorite dish from their childhood. It is always interesting to learn more about what dishes other families enjoy on this holiday. Be sure to assign your guests a category so that you do not end up with 10 desserts and no side dishes.
Assign Every Guest a Task
It is also important to acknowledge that not all of your friends enjoy cooking. This makes it a good idea to assign non-cooking tasks to those friends so that they feel involved. Maybe you want to put your music enthusiast friend in charge of the playlist? Or assign your crafty friend to make table place cards? There should be a job for everyone.
Send Out Invites in Advance
The Thanksgiving season is undoubtedly a busy time for most people. This makes it important that you plan ahead. This means sending out the invitations with plenty of time for your friends to put them on their calendars. It may take a bit of coordinating of the schedules for everyone to agree on a time that works for them.
Friendsgiving on a Budget
Friendsgiving does not have to be a costly affair. There are a number of ways that you can save money on this event. Start by skipping the decorations. You should not feel as if you need to impress anyone with fancy decor. If you insist on decorations, it is always fun to go the homemade route.
You can also save money by limiting the appetizers or dessert options. Rather than offering a full bar, consider getting creative and coming up with a signature cocktail for the event. For example, a spiced apple martini is a great seasonal cocktail worthy of this holiday.
Lean Into Leftovers
Another fun idea to save money is to host a leftover party. This means that you’ll need to host your Friendsgiving after Thanksgiving Day. Ask your guests to bring their leftovers from their family Thanksgiving and you will all enjoy a smorgasbord of goodies. You can provide sandwich fixings so that everyone can make a turkey sandwich and supplement with all of the leftover side dishes. You may be in for some laughs when everyone shows up with an assortment of random leftovers.
Plan Some Entertainment
Friends are the family that you choose. Because of this, there is a high probability that you all like to do the same things. Plan some entertainment options for your Friendsgiving celebration so that you have activities to enjoy before and after eating. Good ideas include board games, karaoke, cards, or a movie night. If you simply want to enjoy good conversation and catch up, this is the great time of the year to build a fire in the backyard and warm up with some hot chocolate or mulled spiced cider.
Ask Everyone to Bring Disposable Containers
There is a good chance that you will have plenty of leftovers from the Friendsgiving feast. You can make it easier on everyone if you suggest that everyone bring a few containers with them so they can pack up their favorites to take home to enjoy later. There is no better parting gift than food to take home. Be sure to have some extra disposable containers on hand for those who forget to bring their own.
Create Your Own New Traditions
Holiday traditions should not be limited to family. Use this occasion to create new traditions within your friend group. These traditions will most likely happen naturally the more that you get together for this unique holiday. Because Friendsgiving is a holiday that does not encompass normal conventions, you are free to create your own rules based on the preferences and interests of your friend group.
Once you host one Friendsgiving, there is a good chance that this will become a new favorite in your friend group.
