Friendsgiving has become more and more of a tradition in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving day.
For Friendsgiving, people invite their closest friends over and enjoy a sit-down dinner together with foods they all bring. These foods can include regular Thanksgiving foods and deserts, as well as non-traditional foods.
Allison Chambers and Fala Kair, seniors in animal sciences and industry, and Alexandria Wilson, senior in strategic communications, recently hosted their own Friendsgiving and shared how they prepared.
“We first went shopping for some decorations and the food beforehand,” Chambers said. “The decorations included the placemats, the plates and cups, and then we started the actual preparation around noon the day of Friendsgiving with cooking the turkey and then decorating as well.”
Food is an important part of Friendsgiving because everyone brings a side dish or something to contribute for the group to enjoy.
“For our menu, we went with traditional Thanksgiving food,” Kair said. “We had turkey and ham, and then everyone brought a dish like mashed potatoes and green bean casserole, … we also had some desserts. My favorite dish is mashed potatoes and gravy.”
Deciding what everyone brings before they come is another important note.
“We sent out a sign-up sheet, making it an easier way to know who all was coming and what foods they were bringing,” Chambers said. “We also wanted everyone to see what food everyone else was bringing so that way we didn’t have double of something.”
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Friendsgiving is not just all about the food, however. It can also be a time for friend groups to get together, see those they might not have seen in a while and bring traditions back to life during this time of the year.
“One tradition I love doing is just going around the table and hearing what everyone is thankful for,” Wilson said. “I think it’s great for us to take the time to do that because we’re so busy with school and jobs, so taking the time to share those things is very special because it’s a part of our college experience and it’s special for each other too.”
Friendsgiving is a great relief from the busy schedules and finals creeping up, and an opportunity to take the time to slow down and have quality interactions with those who mean the most.
“My favorite part of Friendsgiving was just being able to see everyone,” Kair said. “We’re not all together at one time very often, and it was just nice to have a night to just sit down and talk, to see everyone’s faces.”
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but there is still time to celebrate Friendsgiving with those closest to you.
