What is Friendsgiving?

Friendsgiving is a great alternative to Thanksgiving. Even if everyone in your friend group has a happy Thanksgiving, planning a special bonus holiday to celebrate your friendship is always a wonderful idea. However, there is no official origin story for Friendsgiving. Lots of people might say the hit TV show “Friends” brought the potluck dinner into the mainstream, but there are no confirmed origins of where Friendsgiving originated.

Keep reading for the best Friendsgiving ideas and planning tips.

Where to Begin?

Start by considering a theme, given the nature and timing of the holiday – a classic would be autumn themed. Along with a theme comes food, so think about what you are planning to serve. How many courses are you planning? If you’re stuck, it’s always a good idea to get a ballpark of the number of guests expected.

Creating A Menu

As I established previously, you can’t go wrong with matching the theme to the menu. How about an Italian theme? Pizza, pasta, garlic bread, salad. Not your thing? Not a problem! How about a different international cuisine: consider Chinese, Mexican, or even French food. There are so many options when it comes to creating a menu.

Take some time to consider what your friends would enjoy eating most, then move forward with the rest of your party plans.

Your Guest List

Friendsgiving is all about what it sounds like: a time to come together with your friends. Now, I am not saying you have to invite every single friend you have ever made – but I recommend inviting the people you hold nearest and dearest to your heart.

If you genuinely have no clue, take a look at your Instagram close friends list and go from there.

Picking A Date
Keep in mind that the date you select should work best for every one of your friends that you are planning to invite, this is a time to come together and connect – try not to leave anyone out if you can help it.

The most important thing to consider is when people will be traveling since Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel holidays of the year.

One con of hosting Friendsgiving the day after Thanksgiving is that some people may still be visiting their family. Depending on when you are planning on throwing your Friendsgiving, one benefit is that everyone can repurpose any leftovers from Thanksgiving to make the planning less stressful.

Invitations

Once you’ve finalized your guest list and envisioned your dream Friendsgiving, you can get your other friends excited by sending out Friendsgiving invites.

As you’re designing your invitations, you’ll have to consider which date works best for you and your friends.

Consider using Canva to make your invitations or Evite.

Putting Your Plans Into Motion

When you have got everything all settled, it’s time to put everything together (which is my favorite part).

Day Of

Okay! You got this! Remember to set your table, making sure that everyone has a seat and a place setting.

All eyes will be focused on your table setup, so you’ll want to pay close attention to your spread. Since your guests will need a lot of room for their plates, cups, and utensils, you don’t have to worry too much about empty space.

If you have a lot of counter space, laying out all of the food buffet-style allows everyone to load up their plates and grab seconds with ease. If you choose this method, it’s helpful to organize the layout so people can get in line, grab dishes first, then build their plates in an order that makes sense. Proteins and other main-attraction dishes should come first while side dishes can get piled on last at the end of the line.

Think of setting the mood with some music. My personal go-to is some dinner-time jazz.

And that’s it, you’re all done!