HOW TO HOST A “FRIENDS” STYLE FRIENDSGIVING
Since the inception of Friends, season 6, episode 9, Friendsgiving has been a hit among besties. Yes, we’re talking about both the “Friendsgiving” episode and actual Friendsgiving (we’re actually mostly talking about this). While family style Thanksgivings are to die for, friends need to feel the love, too! Friendsgiving’s are typically a more laid back gathering of 5-20 friends who want to celebrate over food & fun! Usually, these are potluck style, casual, and hosted sometime in the month of November. If you’re hosting your first Friendsgiving, we’ve got your back.
Menu
The easiest + most effective way to host a fun (& wayyy less stressful) Friendsgiving is by hosting it potluck style! Offer to make the turkey or ham and ask your friends to bring one or two dishes from the list below:
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WINE (Duh!)
Activities
Every fun dinner party has activities for guests to enjoy together. Choose to either get deep or keep it light with a game! There are plenty of fun ways to connect with your guests no matter what.
GRATITUDE QUESTIONS
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What is something unexpected that you have been thankful for?
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How will you work on cultivating an attitude of gratitude this month/year?
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What is something in the last few days that you’ve been thankful for?
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What is one small thing and one big thing that you are thankful for?
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*pass around pens & paper* List three reasons why you’re thankful for the person sitting to the left of you.
CONVERSATION STARTERS
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What did you think your life would be like when you were little?
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What was your 9th grade self like?
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If everyone could share one personality trait, what would you choose?
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If you were not limited by money or time, what would you do?
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If you could have been the first explorer in any part of the world, where would you want to explore?
FISHBOWL
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Instructions: Everyone needs to write down 3-5 famous people that everyone in the room would know. These people could be: musicians, actors, historical people, mutual friends, fictional characters, etc. All the names get put in the “fishbowl” (hat, bowl, jar, etc.). Form two teams. You can either number people off or cut the room in half.
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Round 1:
The first person on team 1 has one minute to get through as many names as they can. This round is like Taboo… you describe the name that you pull without saying the name. Once your team guesses the name, draw the next name. However many names you get through is the amount of points you get. If you think a name is too hard, you get one skip per round. Now, team 2 is up!
*make sure to keep the names that your team guesses to use for the next round!*
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Round 2:
In this round, players can only use one word to describe the name. Keep in mind that only the names that you guessed from the last round will be in this round. The names are already familiar so it won’t be as hard as it sounds!
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Round 3:
The last round is like charades, so you will only be acting out each name. Again, you will discard all the names that you weren’t able to get through in the last round. Whatever team gets through the most names in all three rounds wins!
Decorations
You could have the best food + best conversations, but good decorations can tie a bow on a good Friendsgiving. There’s no need to go crazy on decorations (unless you want to!), so consider these simple ideas below:
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White pillar candles: these can really tie a dinner table together, especially as an autumn decoration.
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Menus: put a menu at each spot on the table to create a fun & festive feel!
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Place cards: putting a place card at each spot can be a fun way to connect friends who may not know each other very well.
What is your must-have for your Friendsgiving day plans? Share this with a friend or two you want to have Friendsgiving with!