Now that Halloween is over, it’s time to shift our attention. While the holidays are all about family, today I want to discuss how we’re going to celebrate the family we choose—our friends. Keep reading for fun ideas for hosting Friendsgiving.
What is Friendsgiving?
Friendsgiving is all about eating and celebrating with our friends. Especially if you live far away from your extended family, Friendsgiving is a great way to get your friends together for a good meal and a fun time before (or instead of) all of the holiday drama.
Ideas for Hosting Friendsgiving
There are so many fun ways to go about hosting Friendsgiving. Some things I would suggest is to send an invitation that allows you to keep up with your guest list. Also, include a sign-up sheet in your invite through sites like Sign-up Genius or Evite. This will help you stay organized, allow your guest to participate in the fun, and I can guarantee, you won’t have five of the same side dish!
My 5 Easy Ideas for Friendsgiving
Keep it traditional. You can keep things traditional by preparing the turkey and or ham, and have your guests bring all the fixings that you typically enjoy at Thanksgiving. Think: mashed potatoes, green beans, and apple pie. This is the go-to for a Friendsgiving feast.
OR Go the non-traditional route. I generally go the non-traditional route, since we’ll be eating turkey and stuffing for the next several days. I like to have a different cuisine for my Friendsgiving. When going the non-traditional route, I like to pick a theme like Italian, Asian, Mexican, or Greek, and have everyone sign up for a dish in line with the theme.
Build your own Charcuterie/Grazing Table. Grazing tables are all the rage these days and you can get so creative with them. If you check Pinterest, you will see that possibilities are endless. I once attended a party where each guest signed up to bring 2-3 items to add to a grazing board. We signed up for various cheeses, crackers, olives, fresh or dried fruit, nuts; you get the idea. When we all got to the party, the host used all of the items to create a huge grazing table that we snacked on while enjoying wine. It was a unique spin on Friendsgiving and really fun to see the table come together.
Friendsgiving Brunch. Brunch is my favorite meal of the day and I think it’s such a versatile meal option for Friendsgiving. You can incorporate items like breakfast casseroles or baked French toast. Set up a mimosa bar and have your friends bring the OJ or the champagne.
Go Straight to Dessert. You can skip the main courses all together and go straight for dessert. Schedule your Friendsgiving for later in the evening after everyone has had dinner, and make it all about dessert. You can still opt for traditional holiday desserts, like apple tart, pumpkin cheesecake, and sweet potato pie.
Whether you keep things traditional or try one of these other fun ideas, a Friendsgiving is the perfect way to kick off the holiday season.
