We commonly know Thanksgiving to be a holiday that is celebrated with family, but in recent years, Friendsgiving has quickly become a newfound celebration that serves as an exciting way to have a Thanksgiving gathering with just your friends.
If you’re unfamiliar with Friendsgiving, it is typically celebrated in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving day. It’s a great way to catch up with friends both near and far, to not only spend some time and share a delicious meal together, but to also express gratitude for the friendships you have with those surrounding you at the table.
Just like Thanksgiving, there are a lot of ways to get creative with how you want to make the gathering unique to you. You can do this simply through the recipes you make, or, my favorite, getting creative with some fun decor!
With all that said, below are some of my top tips to help you prepare for a successful, stress-free friendsgiving this year.
Determine your guest list
If you are hosting Friendsgiving, it’s important to know who’s going to be able to join in on the gathering first, before you start to plan things like seating or the menu. After all, your guests are the ones who are going to make the celebration come to life!
Once you determine who you’d like to invite, send out invitations that require them to RSVP. That way, you’ll feel more confident moving forward with the rest of your preparations. While it may be easy to send a quick message or e-mail, why not get a little fancy this year and send paper invitations to your guests? This Friendsgiving Invitation Template in the Plum Polka Dot shop is completely editable so you can customize as you please. Make things official by adding details like the date, time, dress code, or even just a sweet personal message!
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Create a menu
Food is inevitably one of the core components to a Friendsgiving! Aside from the turkey, create a menu that incorporates all the dishes your guests can expect to eat. This can include the additional sides and desserts that your friends decide to bring as well. Aside from giving your guests a clear idea of the spread, menus can make a great piece of decor on your Friendsgiving table that will up the ante of the celebration just a bit more. The Plum Polka Dot Friendsgiving Table Menus might make this a bit easier for you. The fall-themed printable can be edited to fit in seamlessly with the rest of your decor and to include all of your special dishes.
Plan out seating
As with any gathering, you’ll want to make sure that you have a clear idea of how you want your guests to be seated. Whether you want seating to be indoors, outdoors, or the atmosphere to be casual or more fancy, the choice is yours. You’ll want to ensure that you have the space and the right amount of chairs or table space beforehand so that you can accommodate your guests as best as possible. If you decide to go the fancier route, you can play around with assigned seating! Name cards are a great way to do this to help your guests show up and settle down in style. You can shop for some Plum Polka Dot fall place cards here.
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Plan some activities
Good food and conversation is only just a part of your Friendsgiving gathering. Planning out some fun activities that you and your friends can participate in either during or after your meal is just one way to add some more fun to the evening. There are plenty of activities you may be able to find online, or it can be as simple as adding a twist to the traditional activity of going around and sharing what you are thankful for this year.
Have fun with decor
Friendsgiving is a great opportunity for you to get in touch with your creative side in terms of decor. To keep things safe and simple, you can always play off of the classic fall theme. You can find plenty of decor, props and printables that emulate the season of fall perfectly. Leaf gardens, mini pumpkins, fall candles, and signs are all some examples. Some of the Plum Polka Dot Thanksgiving signs not only make great decor for a Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving gathering, but can also be placed around the house for the entire fall season.
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Don’t sweat the small stuff
If you are hosting Friendsgiving this year, or are playing a crucial role in helping someone plan theirs, remember that the process doesn’t have to be stressful! An evening with friends should be one that is memorable and one that you can cherish. Don’t forget to remind yourself of what Friendsgiving truly means to you and everything else will fall into place just like it’s supposed to!