How to Host a Friendsgiving
Decide when to hold the friendsgiving., Choose a location., Invite your friends., Talk about what each friend will bring., Don’t feel trapped by Thanksgiving traditions., Finalize the plans.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide when to hold the friendsgiving.
Most friendsgivings are within a week of Thanksgiving, either the weekend before or the weekend after.
Each scheduling decision has its own pros and cons.
Weigh the decision carefully, and get your friends’ input during the planning stage to find out if most of your friends have a scheduling preference for the friendsgiving.If you schedule your friendsgiving before Thanksgiving, you could use the event to test new recipes and get feedback on some dishes that you want to bring to your family gathering on Thanksgiving.
Plus, your friends will probably still be around.
If you hold your friendsgiving the weekend following Thanksgiving, on the other hand, your friends might still be out of town with their own families.
Plus, they could be burned out on eating turkey (if you choose to incorporate it).
On the plus side of hosting a friendsgiving after Thanksgiving, though, you can get turkey and lots of other Thanksgiving foods on sale.
If you plan to host a friendsgiving instead of (or in addition to) attending your family’s own Thanksgiving, you and your friends could schedule the friendsgiving on Thanksgiving day. -
Step 2: Choose a location.
You’ll probably have the friendsgiving at your house, but you need to locate the best place to host the event and find ways to maximize your space.
For instance, if you have an outdoor patio with a table that seats eight, but your dining room table only seats four, you’ll probably want to have the friendsgiving outside on the patio.Think about what the weather is usually like in your area in late November.
If you’re at a high likelihood of rain or nasty weather, you’ll have no choice but to host your friendsgiving inside.
If you want to host the friendsgiving indoors but don’t have enough space, you might be able to rent furniture from furniture rental companies for the event.
Even a few card tables and folding chairs can provide you with the extra seating you need.Alternately, you could hose the friendsgiving at your significant other’s house (with their permission), or at the home of a close friend who has more space. , Without your friends, you can’t have a friendsgiving.
There are several ways to ask your friends to attend your friendsgiving.
For instance, you could:
Send your friends an email or text message.
Write, “Hi, I’m having a friendsgiving on .
Would you like to come? If so, can you bring a dish to share with everyone else? Write me back soon with your decision and any questions. : )” Talk to your friend directly or call your friend on the phone.
Ask your friend, “Would you like to come to my friendsgiving celebration? I’m inviting several friends and everyone will bring a dish to share.
Are you free on ?” Don’t invite too many people.
Think about how much space you have at your home.
If your dining table only seats six, invite six people.
If you can make room for extra seats or a foldout table, go for it, but stay conscious of how many friends can eat comfortably at your home. , At friendsgiving, each friend should bring a dish to share.
But you want to ensure that your friends don’t all bring the same dish (ten pumpkin pies, for instance, might be a bit much).
Coordinate with your friends to identify a dish that they can provide.If your friends are really passionate about cooking a particular dish or type of food, encourage them to bring their specialty.
For instance, if your friend has a top-notch mac & cheese recipe, encourage them to make and bring that.
Suggest to your friends that they can also buy ready-made foods, and do not have to cook anything from scratch.Let your friends know how many people are coming so they can provide enough to feed the whole group.
If your friend is bringing their significant other, ask them to bring two dishes.
Think about friends with special diets.
For instance, if some of your friends are vegan, ask them and a few other friends to make (or buy) vegan dishes.
Friends with special diets should be able to have a proper meal, not just a single item.
Ask your friends to have their dishes ready to eat when they arrive at the party.
Otherwise, you could end up with a roomful of friends all vying to use the oven.
The only exception to the free choice of dish each friend can bring is the turkey.
If you decide to include turkey in your friendsgiving, you – the host – should cook it and the gravy, because nobody wants to transport a big, cooked bird and a pot of gravy to another house., Thanksgiving is associated with several specific foods like turkey, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes.
But friendsgiving isn’t Thanksgiving.
You can break the rules, or make new ones.
For instance, instead of turkey, you could have sushi.
Instead of pumpkin pie, get a cake.
You could even choose a themed cuisine (like Chinese or Mexican) and have all the friendsgiving food conform to the theme., When you’ve figured out when the friendsgiving will be, who’s coming, and what everyone is brining, send your friends a mass email with all the information.
You could also use an app like Google Calendar to coordinate and finalize all these details.
This will give your guests the opportunity to clarify and confirm what or who they’re bringing. -
Step 3: Invite your friends.
-
Step 4: Talk about what each friend will bring.
-
Step 5: Don’t feel trapped by Thanksgiving traditions.
-
Step 6: Finalize the plans.
Detailed Guide
Most friendsgivings are within a week of Thanksgiving, either the weekend before or the weekend after.
Each scheduling decision has its own pros and cons.
Weigh the decision carefully, and get your friends’ input during the planning stage to find out if most of your friends have a scheduling preference for the friendsgiving.If you schedule your friendsgiving before Thanksgiving, you could use the event to test new recipes and get feedback on some dishes that you want to bring to your family gathering on Thanksgiving.
Plus, your friends will probably still be around.
If you hold your friendsgiving the weekend following Thanksgiving, on the other hand, your friends might still be out of town with their own families.
Plus, they could be burned out on eating turkey (if you choose to incorporate it).
On the plus side of hosting a friendsgiving after Thanksgiving, though, you can get turkey and lots of other Thanksgiving foods on sale.
If you plan to host a friendsgiving instead of (or in addition to) attending your family’s own Thanksgiving, you and your friends could schedule the friendsgiving on Thanksgiving day.
You’ll probably have the friendsgiving at your house, but you need to locate the best place to host the event and find ways to maximize your space.
For instance, if you have an outdoor patio with a table that seats eight, but your dining room table only seats four, you’ll probably want to have the friendsgiving outside on the patio.Think about what the weather is usually like in your area in late November.
If you’re at a high likelihood of rain or nasty weather, you’ll have no choice but to host your friendsgiving inside.
If you want to host the friendsgiving indoors but don’t have enough space, you might be able to rent furniture from furniture rental companies for the event.
Even a few card tables and folding chairs can provide you with the extra seating you need.Alternately, you could hose the friendsgiving at your significant other’s house (with their permission), or at the home of a close friend who has more space. , Without your friends, you can’t have a friendsgiving.
There are several ways to ask your friends to attend your friendsgiving.
For instance, you could:
Send your friends an email or text message.
Write, “Hi, I’m having a friendsgiving on .
Would you like to come? If so, can you bring a dish to share with everyone else? Write me back soon with your decision and any questions. : )” Talk to your friend directly or call your friend on the phone.
Ask your friend, “Would you like to come to my friendsgiving celebration? I’m inviting several friends and everyone will bring a dish to share.
Are you free on ?” Don’t invite too many people.
Think about how much space you have at your home.
If your dining table only seats six, invite six people.
If you can make room for extra seats or a foldout table, go for it, but stay conscious of how many friends can eat comfortably at your home. , At friendsgiving, each friend should bring a dish to share.
But you want to ensure that your friends don’t all bring the same dish (ten pumpkin pies, for instance, might be a bit much).
Coordinate with your friends to identify a dish that they can provide.If your friends are really passionate about cooking a particular dish or type of food, encourage them to bring their specialty.
For instance, if your friend has a top-notch mac & cheese recipe, encourage them to make and bring that.
Suggest to your friends that they can also buy ready-made foods, and do not have to cook anything from scratch.Let your friends know how many people are coming so they can provide enough to feed the whole group.
If your friend is bringing their significant other, ask them to bring two dishes.
Think about friends with special diets.
For instance, if some of your friends are vegan, ask them and a few other friends to make (or buy) vegan dishes.
Friends with special diets should be able to have a proper meal, not just a single item.
Ask your friends to have their dishes ready to eat when they arrive at the party.
Otherwise, you could end up with a roomful of friends all vying to use the oven.
The only exception to the free choice of dish each friend can bring is the turkey.
If you decide to include turkey in your friendsgiving, you – the host – should cook it and the gravy, because nobody wants to transport a big, cooked bird and a pot of gravy to another house., Thanksgiving is associated with several specific foods like turkey, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes.
But friendsgiving isn’t Thanksgiving.
You can break the rules, or make new ones.
For instance, instead of turkey, you could have sushi.
Instead of pumpkin pie, get a cake.
You could even choose a themed cuisine (like Chinese or Mexican) and have all the friendsgiving food conform to the theme., When you’ve figured out when the friendsgiving will be, who’s coming, and what everyone is brining, send your friends a mass email with all the information.
You could also use an app like Google Calendar to coordinate and finalize all these details.
This will give your guests the opportunity to clarify and confirm what or who they’re bringing.
About the Author
Megan Lane
Experienced content creator specializing in cooking guides and tutorials.
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