3 Ways to Host the Ultimate Friendsgiving

Ah, Thanksgiving. Single-handedly, the most underrated holiday, overshadowed by Halloween and Christmas every year. But thanks to one of the most watched TV shows of all time, Friends, Thanksgiving is finally getting the attention it deserves…but in the form of Friendsgiving.

Friendsgiving is a trend made famous by the aforementioned Friends show, where the characters celebrated Thanksgiving with their friends in a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Someone may put a turkey on her head (Monica), someone might accidentally put ground beef in a traditional English trifle (Rachel), and someone may even try to ditch the whole dinner for a woman (Joey), but in the end, Friendsgiving is about friends coming together to celebrate themselves, their friendships, and their imperfect lives.

Now, almost twenty years later, Friendsgiving still lives on. Have you ever thought about trying to host a Friendsgiving? Here are three foolproof ways to organize the ultimate Friendsgiving.

1. Have everyone bring a dish

One of the best parts of Friendsgiving is having a potluck-style meal. Gone are the days of the host waking up at the crack of dawn to bake the turkey, make the stuffing, boil the cranberries, and mix the pies. Everyone contributes to a Friendsgiving meal, and it’s fantastic!

It cuts down on the host’s workload, and it’s interesting to see who will bring the most unique dish, who is surprisingly a good cook, and who, inevitably, will use salt instead of sugar. Having a potluck-style meal not only helps you get to know your friends’ personalities better, but it also reinforces togetherness. Everyone will bring something to the table and play a part in a fantastic evening.

*Tip: Make sure to keep a list of who is bringing what dish. If you don’t, you might end up with five turkeys!

2. Have games or activities planned for the evening

Don’t be afraid to have fun at your Friendsgiving. After your meal, make a pot of coffee and bust out the games! Depending on your group of friends and what you all prefer, there are an array of games you can play. Whether you like something calm like Dominos or something intense like Dungeons & Dragons, here are some games everybody loves:

• Catchphrase

Catchphrase is a game consisting of two teams, and the goal of the game is to try to get your teammates to guess as many words or phrases as possible. The two teams sit in a circle, every other person from a different team, and pass around a disc that reads a certain word or phrase. In order to get their teammates to guess the word or phrase, they have to give specific clues.

Once their teammates guess correctly, they pass it on to the next person from the other team. It’s kind of like verbal charades. The handheld disc is timed, and the team holding the disc when the timer runs out loses that round. Whoever wins fifteen or twenty rounds first wins.

This game is hilarious and is always a crowd-pleaser.

*Tip: If you don’t want to buy the disc, you can download the Catch Phrase application on your phone.

• Newlywed Game (Friends Edition)

We all know about the newlywed game. Couples are asked questions about how well they know each other, they write down their separate answers, and whichever couple gets the most matching answers wins the game.

But this is the friend’s version of that game. Have your friends pair off, give them paper or a small dry erase board, and ask away. Whoever gets the most matching answers is deemed the ultimate pair of friends.

*Tip: Make sure to know who is coming to your Friendsgiving before playing this game. Nothing would be more awkward than for a stranger to be paired up with a group of best friends. Yikes!

3. Relax and don’t expect a perfect evening

The best part about Friendsgiving is that it doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s okay if someone forgets to bring plastic forks, or if you eat dinner five minutes late, or if you are one chair short. These are your friends, who accept you for who you are, and this night is no exception. So, if you are hosting, let yourself relax and don’t stress about the imperfections of the evening. Enjoy your company and be thankful for the wonderful people around you.

*Tip: We did mention that Rachel put ground beef in her dessert, right?

Happy Thanksgiving and good luck to all your Friendsgiving endeavors!