Autumn is the time for the holiday season to kick off. As families gather for Thanksgiving and shoppers prepare for Black Friday. Something else is also approaching. It has all the trappings of Turkey Day, but it's more flexible. It’s a day you set aside for your friends and close pals. Welcome, Friendsgiving.
In this article
What is Friendsgiving?
As you may have noticed, Friendsgiving is the merge of two words - friendship and thanksgiving. From there, we can start to infer what it is. Friendsgiving is a casual and light-hearted gathering enjoyed by friends around the Thanksgiving season.
Origin of Friendsgiving
There are different theories as to when Friendsgiving began. Merriam-Webster suggests the term first appeared in a 2007 post on Usenet and tweet. But some people believe that the TV show Friends inspired it. Then, another theory suggests that Baileys Irish Cream liqueur used the word in a 2011 ad campaign.
While there’s a light debate on its origin, the essence and popularity of Friendsgiving continue to soar. Also, everyone agrees on what it is - a Thanksgiving dinner celebrated with friends. So, how do you differentiate it from any other time with your friends?
When is Friendsgiving?
Unlike Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving is a flexible celebration. It does not have a fixed date. You can schedule it for before or after Thanksgiving Day. You may also pick any other day in November.
If you intend to travel home to join your family for Thanksgiving, you can host it before Turkey Day. You can also co-opt Thanksgiving and call it Friendsgiving if you intend spending the day with your friends or pals.
Ideally, avoid celebrating it on the weekend after Thanksgiving because you or your friends may still be traveling, and you don’t want a clash with Black Friday!
How to Celebrate Friendsgiving?
Everyone will celebrate differently, but inviting your friends to enjoy a meal together is a routine for most people.
You may send invitation text messages to your friends, mail them a physical card, or inform them over the phone. Just ensure to give them a heads-up on time. Here are a few tips for you to plan the day.
Tips to Plan Friendsgiving
- Plan Early: As you and your friends either work or study, let them know your intentions on time. That will allow them to plan their schedule accordingly.
- Find a Suitable Place: If your home is not big enough for your friends, you may consider an outdoor option.
- Give it a Theme: Make your Friendsgiving stand out by giving it a theme. That will inform the dress code, colors, decorations, activities, and even food for the day.
- Make it Fun with Games: Aside from eating together, games and activities help you bond well with friends. Something as simple as your favorite card or board game would do. You can also paint or go fishing if there’s a pond around you!
- Prepare to Record the Day: Don’t forget to fire up your smartphone or camera to enable you to capture memorable moments with your friends.
Now that you have created a plan, you can start organizing the day’s activities. Start from the menu.
5 Best Friendsgiving Food Ideas
Due to the flexibility of Friendsgiving, you can take advantage of that by designing your menu for the day, but here are a few options to consider.
1. Roast Chicken with Potatoes: This roast chicken with potatoes is a great main course if you need a simple, one-pan recipe alternative to Turkey. Well-seasoned roast chicken works well with potatoes.
2. Wild Rice Stuffing with Apple & Sausage: Since Friendsgiving is about breaking the tradition, how about a rice dish? If you want to treat your friends to some rustic delight, the wild rice stuffing does the trick. It delivers bold flavors from apples, rye bread, sausages, pecans, and fresh herbs.
3. Roasted Herb Turkey And Gravy: If you are to have Friendsgiving on Thanksgiving day, you can treat your friends to a roasted turkey and gravy that will have them singing your praises. Spice up the gravy by adding Turkey, celery, carrots, and onion to your roasting pan.
4. Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Bites: This little bacon-wrap recipe is easy, fun, and creative with its lollipop appearance. And it's made from two ingredients that combine well.
5. Green Bean Casserole: This recipe is also another easy option for you. Instead of using the regular canned cream of mushroom soup, go for a fresh one. To do that, saute your mushrooms in butter with finely chopped onion, then cook the mushrooms until they are slightly caramelized, and boom..
There is no shortage of ideal recipes for Friendsgiving, but these ones will make it a memorable day for you and your pals. Feel free to explore, and don’t forget to consider your friends.
5 Interesting Activities and Games for Friendsgiving
While the food tops the list, adding activities also spice things up. Here are some you can enjoy for Friendsgiving.
- Host a Potluck: Here's the thing. Having your friends bring their favorite dish means less work for you. So, hosting a potluck works.
You can make something like a chicken or turkey dish. Then get your friends to bring something they like. Ensure they let you know what they will bring to avoid ending up with the same thing.
- Friendsgiving Costume Party: A costume party never goes out of fashion.
Pick a theme and ask your friends to come dressed up. You can pick sports or historical figures, favorite superheroes, or movie characters.
- Friendsgiving picnic: This is ideal if you like to enjoy the outdoors. Ensure you pack adequate food and drinks.
- Pyjama Party: If you'd rather stay indoors and relax, this is a perfect idea.
Prepare your cozy blankets, snacks, desserts, and a good movie, and enjoy an indoor time with your friends.
- Give Thanks: It's Friendsgiving, so why not give thanks? You can take turns to give thanks for the past year and your friendship.
There is so much to do with your friends, and these activities will set the tone for a merry day. But how about your living space?
7 Top Friendsgiving Decorations Ideas
As your friends troop in, you want to blow them away with the elegance of your living space. So, you can use some of these Friendsgiving decorations to refresh your living space.
- Flower Wreath for Your Door: This is a way to let everyone know you're celebrating Friendsgiving. It could be anything festive, like flowers or a fall wreath.
- Balloon Banner: Balloons are a staple for any celebration. Letter balloons are versatile, trendy, and perfect for a Friendsgiving decoration. You can also use them as your background for pictures. And they are not expensive.
- Colorful Friendsgiving Straws: Put these straws in a transparent cup and place them on your table. The bright and vibrant colors add a beautiful touch to your space. And the best part? These paper straws are eco-friendly.
- Turkey Hands: Want something playful and funny? You will like the paper Turkey hands. Take out your paper and pencil and start tracing. And the best part? You can use them as decorations. Get everyone to draw theirs, then hang it on your wall. You can then rate the best later.
- Pinata: You can do this if you crave something new. You can also use them on the Thanksgiving day.
- White pumpkins: White pumpkins are inexpensive, but you'll never know because they look elegant. You can pair them with pine cones or fall leaves to make them pop. Place them on your table and let the party begin.
- Colorful Wine Glass: Who says you can't use them as decor? Get a set of colorful wine glasses and neatly place them on your table. You can ask your friend's favorite colors and get the wine glasses in those colors.
The great thing about these decoration ideas is that they are inexpensive, and you can combine them. So, give your living space a refreshing look that will wow your friends. Oh, and what is Friendsgiving without good music?
Top Friendsgiving Playlists
Now that you have the sorted food, activities, and decorations, you need music. After all, music is soul food. Here are some tips to prepare your Friendsgiving playlist.
- Consider what your friends like.
- Vary your selection.
- Match your playlist to the activities of the day.
- If possible, select the songs by yourself.
If you don't know where to start, dig into these playlists for a memorable Friendsgiving.
The Spotify Friendsgiving Playlist: As you expect, Spotify goes all out to include all your favorites, like Bruno Mars's best 2010s hits, Rock Classics, and more. Elite Daily Playlist: This playlist is a nice mix of pop hits everyone loves. It also has some songs that mention food. You can't go wrong with this.
You can also consider other playlists like Rap and Rose Sequence if you enjoy modern rap music or the Beach at Sunset playlist if you plan on going outdoors. And if you want a blast from the past, this 80s-inspired playlist takes you there.
Organize your music playlist ahead of time and test your sound system to ensure it works as it should. You want to give your friends the best experience, and music is a great way to do it.
Make the Most of Friendsgiving
As Friendsgiving approaches fast, you are better off starting to plan with your friends and closest pals. Ask about what activities and music they would like, and also ask about their schedule to enable you to fix a suitable date.
The essence of Friendsgiving is time spent with friends enjoying lovely food and reminiscing on the past year and your friendship. Make it worthwhile with some good food, music, and activity ideas all captured in this article.
