Inspiring Friendsgiving Ideas and Tips

As a holiday all about gratitude, there seems like no better day than Thanksgiving to celebrate friendships old and new. Any excuse to get your chosen family together and share a meal is prime memory-making material. Here are a few Friendsgiving ideas to help you kick off the holiday season.

Schedule a Convenient Date

Scheduling your event before Thanksgiving generally works best.  Not only will your friends be excited for the first festivity of the season, but they may also already be in town for the holiday. Find out when everyone will still be in the area and pick a date accordingly. The weekend before Thanksgiving is one of the best times for your celebration, but you can even consider a mid-week meal.

Make the Turkey or Main Dish if You’re Hosting

Since Friendsgiving generally is held before Thanksgiving, no one will be tired of turkey just yet. If you’re hosting a traditional dinner, plan to make one. While the rest of the dishes typically arrive potluck-style, no one wants to be responsible for transporting a turkey in their car or – even more perilously – on public transportation.

As the host, it’s gracious to prepare the turkey or another main dish of your choosing. Setting a gorgeous bird or other homemade dish on the table ensures that there will be plenty of food to go around. As guests arrive, the table will fill up even more.

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Ask Friends to Sign Up for a Potluck-Style Feast

While there are no rules for Friendsgiving, guests might be disappointed if there are ten versions of sweet potato pie but no stuffing on the table. Rather than assigning a specific dish to each person, distribute a spreadsheet via Google Docs or another file sharing service listing major categories such as appetizers, vegetable side dishes, grain side dishes and desserts. This allows your friends to see the gaps in the feast and specify the dishes they want to bring to round out the meal.

Prepare the Bar Area and Include Non-Alcoholic Options

Whether you opt to serve bottles of wine or cocktails, it’s a good Friendsgiving idea to have a variety of non-alcoholic options as well. Planning a mocktail that includes holiday flavors such as apple, cinnamon and cranberry ensures that everyone has a tasty drink in hand.

Designate a corner of the dining room or a section of kitchen counter as the bar area, and stock it with ice, glasses and bottle openers. You might even ask guests to bring a wine or spirit that pairs well with their potluck dish.

Create a Playlist

With the right tunes playing, your guests will fall into the holiday spirit in no time, plus every party needs a playlist.

Consider the preferences of your friends when choosing songs that will carry you from appetizers to dessert to lounging and chatting through the evening. Make sure to mix up genres and include enough variety to prevent your background music from becoming monotonous.

Express Gratitude in Creative Ways

While you certainly could go around the table and ask everyone to share what they’re grateful for, it’s possible to capture the spirit of the holiday in more creative ways.

Set out colorful calligraphy pens and allow friends to write their thoughts on a craft paper table runner or tablecloth. Alternately, you could ask them to share their wishes for the upcoming year. This kind of activity allows people to opt in or out as they feel comfortable.

Ask your guests to fill up a gratitude or memory jar and share the notes later in the day. Use this cute gratitude jar and notepad set, then give it away to the person with the best story.

Let Your Friends’ Talents Shine

There is no better time than Friendsgiving to let your loved ones know how much you appreciate their talents. If you have a friend who makes floral arrangements that would make anyone on Instagram swoon, ask them if they would like to create centerpieces. Your friend who just took an online course in calligraphy might be the perfect person to create place cards for the table. Wherever your guests’ strengths lie, think of ways to incorporate their talents in the holiday.

Incorporate some of these Friendsgiving ideas or use them as inspiration for your own creative spin on this popular gathering. and don’t forget to send all your friends home with to-go containers filled with leftovers!

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