Poor Thanksgiving. There is so much hype around Halloween what with the candy and the costumes and then once we hit November, we really just start planning for the December holidays. Plus, it doesn’t help that retailers are already playing holiday music and selling Christmas and Hannukah decor. Thanksgiving can’t catch a break! It’s like the red-headed step-child of holidays. But Friendsgiving is like Thanksgiving’s cool, fun younger cousin that doesn’t question you for an hour about why you are single and your life choices in general.
Friendsgivings have become super popular even though the term wasn’t really used regular until 2009, according to Urban Dictionary (even though we should really give credit to the cast of Friends for making it look so fun.) But now it is pretty much a regular occurance for most millennials. More than 75,000 Facebook events with the words “Friendsgiving” or “Friendgiving” were created last November, a company spokesperson said. Plus, Friendsgiving may be the best tactic for getting millennials to go into grocery stores.
Friendsgiving is all about friends coming together and eating and celebrating life. And what’s great is, you can throw a Friendsgiving any time between now and the end of November. There are no rules! However we do have a few tips for making it a great Friendsgiving.
Get Your Invites Out Now
Even if you aren’t doing your party til the last week of November, people’s calendars are filling up and you want to actually populate your party.
Decorate
The beauty of Thanksgiving decor is that you can literally do anything. Pumpkins, goards, corn, wooden plates, pilgrims, leaves from outside, pumpkin spice lattes, etc., The possibilities are endless and cheap! Just look at Pinterest for more ideas.
Make Everyone Cook (Different Things)
Put the pot in potluck (or maybe the luck?) You may want to do a lot of the cooking, but definitely let everyone bring a dish (just make sure it isn’t all the same thing.) You don’t want 7 pies and one casserole. Well, maybe you do….
Also remember
Unlike Thanksgiving, you aren’t expected to cook an actual turkey. You can have pizza as the main course if you want!
Alcohol
Definitely have some alcohol on hand or have the non-cooks be responsible for the beverages. You may be driven to drink when spending time with your family on Thanksgiving but with Friendsgiving you just want to drink because it is fun!
Don’t invite too many people
You want to have fun as the host and be able to talk to everyone so don’t add extra pressure by having a full house.
Be Courteous but not crazy
You know half of your friends are gluten-free, meat-free, dairy-free or on a strictly paleo-paleo diet. Do try to have plenty of options for everyone (and label dishes) but do not put yourself into a tizzy over the picky eaters.
Have excellent music
It is an essential of a great Friendsgiving.
Get a cleanup crew
Make sure you have a few people hang out and help you clean. This is when you should sit back, unbutton your pants and have some wine (and pie.)