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Are you attending a Friendsgiving this year? Or maybe hosting it yourself? I’m sharing a few tips to make sure you have a fun, successful and delicious Friendsgiving before heading wherever home may be for Thanksgiving.
I’m also curious, was Friendsgiving always a thing? Or is this something that came about when I was in college? I remember going to my friend Andrea’s house for my first-ever Friendsgiving. She made a giant turkey and stuffing. We brought all of the sides. We had wine, we laughed, and we ate. It was such a memorable night. I hate that we haven’t continued the tradition.
But lately, I’ve been on a kick of wanting to host more often so maybe I’ll bring this back this season. If you’re hosting or looking to put together a Friendsgiving, be sure to follow these foolproof tips.
7 Tips To Hosting Friendsgiving
The Host Makes The Turkey
It’s impossible to really transport a turkey from house to house, so the host is 100% in charge of this task. Sure you can go the semi-homemade route and pick up a ham or turkey from your favorite restaurant. I would recommend doing this if you have under five people.
You can also just do a turkey breast, or maybe add in a Honey Baked Ham in addition to that. Any more, I’d consider a whole turkey. If you’re looking to make a whole turkey all on your own, my Mom loves this recipe.
Come Up With A General Menu
If you also want to make your Grandmother’s green beans and you have to have it, go ahead. But come up with a menu of items you’ll need friends to bring so you can then head to the next tip!
Obviously, people can go off the menu, but try to come up with your staple items to ensure you have a vegetable, a great side dish or two and obviously an appetizer and dessert. The rest can just be fun things to try out and add to your plate.
Delegate Your Side Dishes
Do not, I repeat, do not just let people bring WHATEVER they want. Require your guests to tell you in advance what they’re bringing. First come, first serve basis too. If you’re last to tell the host you want to bring something and your go-to dish is mac & cheese but someone else already claimed it, too bad.
Friendsgiving won’t be a success if it’s all mac & cheese, or all green bean casseroles. Okay, a mac & cheese night could be fun but that’s not what Friendsgiving is for.
Luckily group texts or Facebook events make it easy to see what people are bringing and what’s still left. If you’re the host, just be sure to keep a list for yourself and mark things off as they get claimed. You can also assign categories.
No need to tell each person exactly what to make, but if you want a little more control over your menu it’s totally fine to tell one friend to bring something sweet potato, and another some sort of green vegetable. This ensures you hit all the basics.
Have Some Snacks & Wine
A host should also have snacks and wine ready to go. If the appetizer girl comes in late, you don’t want guests sitting around with nothing to munch on. My simple meat and cheese board is great to serve guests and covers all the bases.
Protein, salty, crunchy and carbs. Winning. And don’t forget some wine! Having a few easy options to serve guests will make hosting a breeze. No need to go bananas with too many options.
Set The Table
You don’t have to do a giant tablescape or even bring out real dishes. Plastic works just fine, and Friendsgiving is supposed to just be a casual get-together.
However, if you are looking for some tablescape and decor inspiration, painted pumpkins are always fun, fresh eucalyptus and seasonal fruits round out a perfect tablescape that doesn’t take much to put together. And here are my tips for setting a table.
Check out this tablescape from last year and this one with DIY painted pumpkins!
Get Your Playlist Ready
I’m ALL about having music on in the background. A Friendsgiving playlist can either be your favorite holiday songs, or I personally love this Spotify playlist. There are tons of great dinner party playlists on Spotify to search. Find something that suits you and your friends. Have fun!
Have To-Go Containers
It’s always nice to have guests bring home leftovers after Friendsgiving. Many of us are heading out of town and can’t keep ALL that food in our fridge. Letting everyone take a meal home will help get rid of leftovers that won’t end up in the garbage.
You can go simple and just do standard Tupperware (these are inexpensive and do the job). Or you can be a little fancier and provide your guests with actual takeout boxes as if they were at a restaurant!
