Host a Friendsgiving to Remember

After Halloween, you know Thanksgiving will be here real soon. It's time to start thinking about how you will be celebrating the holidays this year. No need to worry. I've got you covered. I will show you how to host your first Friendsgiving. It will be a Friendsgiving to remember.

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When you live far away from family, it's not always possible to celebrate the holidays with family. One of the things I like about Friendsgiving is that you can still celebrate Thanksgiving with your chosen family. When I lived in DC, I had to miss some holidays, but my friends helped me tto find a way to still enjoy Thanksgiving. Friendsgiving is also away to connect with your friends before the chaos of the holidays it.

Hosting a party may seem like a lot, but I will walk you through the party planning process to make hosting Friendsgiving easy for you.

Step by Step Guide to Planning the Best Friendsgiving

Guest List - Who are yougoing to invite to Friendsgiving?

The first thing I do when I'm planning a party is to determine who I am going to invite. The guest list determine the "venue" and the amount of food you will need for Friendsgiving. If you're going to use your home, you'll want to make sure your guests will fit comfortably in your space. If you live in a one bedroom apartment, inviting more than 10 people might not be the best decision. Personally, I like to keep my guest list to around 8-12 people.

Date - When do you want to host Friendsgiving?

I think about what dates work best for me. With a fulltime job and running a business as a content creator, sometimes I have limited availability. So I like to get a jump start on dates so I can block the date on my calendar. If you have a little bit more flexibility, polling your guest for dates is also a good route to take to decide on the date for Friendsgiving.

Menu - What do you want to serve at Friendsgiving?

What do you want to serve and do you want to provide the food or have everyone sign up to bring food? Personally, I have hosted a potluck styled Friendsgiving. It's easier to create a menu and have your friends to sign up for dishes or you can request your guests to bring specific dishes. Having a set menu will prevent guest from bringing the same dish unless extra is needed.

my go to friendsgiving menu

• Salad
• Bread - Hawaiian dinner rolls, cornbread, biscuits
• Sauces - gravy, cranberry sauce
• Sides - mac n' cheese, dressing, broccoli, brussell sprouts, green beans, potato salad, mashed potatoes
• Meats - turkey, ham, fried chicken
• Dessert - sweet potato pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie, cookies, cake, cupcakes

Invitations - Send out those invites

I love sending digital invitations. I will check my phone before I check the mailbox, so digital is ALWAYS my go-to. Lately, I've been using Partiful app for my digital invites. I really like that your guest can make comments in the invitation, you can add a questionnaire (perfect if you're doing a potluck style Friendsgiving. Guests can comment what they're bringing). If you want every to contribute and you purchase all the food, there's a chip-in feature to collect money when guests RSVP.

I've also used Evite app to send out digital invitations. They have an array of templates you can use for any occasion.

Make sure you put a deadline for RSVPing to ensure you will have enough food and know what food you will have at Friendsgiving.

Decor - How will you decorate for Friendsgiving?

My favorite part about hosting parties is decorating. I love a good party theme and Friendsgiving would make a great event to decorate for. Here's some things to think about when it comes to Friendsgiving decor.

backdrop

tablescape

Plates, glassware, & utensils

food table

Good Vibes Only - A list of Friendsgiving activities

While eating dinner, play a curated playlist to set the vibes. I love using Apple Music playlists. If Apple Music isn't your thing, I also recommend Spotify and Pandora.

Friendsgiving is not just about eating food, but enjoying each other's company. After dinner, plan out some activities for you and your friends.

Party Favors - A great way to thank your guest for celebrating Friendsgiving with you

Party favors are a great way to show your appreciation to your guests for attending Friendsgiving. Party favors don't have to be super expensive to be thoughtful.

This post was all about hosting a Friendsgiving to remember. What are some things you have done for Friendsgiving? Comment below.