What do you do for Thanksgiving when you don’t live near your family, can’t travel due to health issues/costs/work schedule … or you just aren’t close with your family?
You create new traditions with friends who are like family.
Enter Friendsgiving.
Merriam-Webster actually added the word to the dictionary in 2020 after steady usage starting around 2007, and steady usage beginning in 2012 after some ads and TV shows referenced it.
“Friendsgiving is a mashup of the word “friend” and “thanksgiving” that refers to a large meal among friends eaten during the Thanksgiving season.”
If you’re looking to host a Friendsgiving this year, here are some top tips to make your table the best around.
Let the party planner shine.
You likely have a friend in your group who is the typical type A personality who loves to organize. (You know the one!)
Let that person take the lead on planning (and it doesn’t automatically have to be the host). Just play to your group’s strengths here.
Send out invites early.
Everyone wants to have concrete plans. Send out your invites early, by email, event invite, group chat, or even a SignUp Genius or spreadsheet for those so inclined.
The point is, deciding on a date for the get-together is often the hardest part to nail down. So choose early (whether it’s on Thanksgiving Day or otherwise) and let everyone know.
Assign a variety of dishes.
Make sure you have room on your food list for appetizers, salad or veggies, the main dish (whether you cook a turkey or choose another option) and desserts.
If there’s no communication about who’s bringing what, everyone might show up with a pie, and the sugar high might be hard to recover from. (Even harder than the “sleepy turkey” amino acid tryptophan).
Be open to bucking traditions.
It’s possible that group consensus is to eat all the typical Thanksgiving dishes. Maybe that party planner really wants to decorate a big formal table.
But leave the door open to the possibility that for some, traditions are tough.
It could be fun to let everyone bring their own favorite, nontraditional dish. If that fits your group the best, let it ride.
Or maybe your group loves football, and you decide to go with tailgating foods instead.
Are there rules at Friendsgiving? We think not.
Plan for leftovers to go home.
Everyone loves leftovers!
Ask your friends to bring their own leftover containers, whether disposable or glass from home.
That way, the host isn’t on the hook to dish out ziplock bags when their own stash of containers gets used up.
Pitch in for cleanup.
Isn’t that what friends are for?
If the host has already gone through the typical pre-hosting house clean, it’s generous to offer and help clean up dishes and the table after the meal.
Whether you’re going to hang out for a movie, TV or board games, thoughtfulness goes a long way when it comes to cleanup.
Remind everyone around the table why you care
After a tough last few years, we all know that relationships are more important than ever.
And making sure the people you’re celebrating with know that you care about them is a worthy goal.
Before the event is done, go around the table and have everyone mention one thing they’re thankful for (can be heartfelt or goofy), or one thing they love about the person to their left.
Validating each other is a worthy goal. And one that we sometimes forget to do often enough. Let’s be there for each other.
Enjoy Friendsgiving!