If you are hosting a pre-Thanksgiving Friendsgiving feast this year, you may be seeking inspiration and fresh ideas on how to create a fun evening. Here’s how to host the best stress-free and fun Friendsgiving dinner party this year, with great tips and ideas including games, table settings and online foods to order now.
the Friendsgiving dinner party is becoming a beloved tradition
Friendsgiving is on the rise. Each year, we notice more and more people taking the time to host this lovely tradition. For some, Friendsgiving happens before or after the main event; for others, November’s fourth Thursday is Friendsgiving – a holiday spent with chosen family, rather than blood relatives.
Whenever and however you choose to celebrate, we love the way Friendsgiving honors the platonic loved ones in our lives – relationships that are among the most important we ever have, but that don’t always receive enough gratitude.
How to host the best stress-free and fun Friendsgiving dinner party, including games, table settings and online foods to order now.
If this is your first time hosting your own Friendsgiving feast, we have assembled a “starter pack” to help you create the world’s most fun and festive celebration. We’ve got food, table settings, decorations, and even a few games to help make the day special. Here are the eleven things you’ll need.
11 great tips for the Friendsgiving dinner party host
1. Mighty Quinn’s Famous Southern Sides for 16
When it comes to the food, we believe that Friendsgiving has slightly different rules than Thanksgiving itself. First of all, if it’s a dinner you’re having in addition to the regular Thursday meal, then you don’t want to do all of that cooking twice. And even if it’s on Thanksgiving day, it’s possible you’ve never hosted a major holiday meal before. Our suggestion? One, make it a potluck, and two, let someone else do the cooking. For your own contributions to the feast, you should order from Mighty Quinn’s. They’re one of New York’s most beloved barbecue institutions, and their southern sides will serve up to sixteen people – perfect for a big and hungry crowd. This will take care of the sweet potato casserole, mac and cheese, and baked beans, and you can let your friends provide the rest.
BUY NOW: $114.95.
2. Sliced Turkey
Again, make things easy for yourself. Cooking a turkey is a major production, and there’s no need to go through all that twice (or even once). Pecan Lodge provides sliced turkey meat, all of which is spice-rubbed, oak-smoked, juicy, and delicious. You can still give your guests turkey – if that’s important to you – but without all of the effort. Plus, serving with a jar of the restaurant’s barbecue sauce (provided with the meat) will put a little spin on things – and if Friendsgiving is happening in addition to the big day, your friends will be grateful for the varied flavor palate.
BUY NOW: $119.95.
3. Pie from Pietisserie
Every Thanksgiving celebration needs pie, and that includes Friendsgiving. We don’t make the rules! California bakery Pietisserie is shipping their pies nationwide through Goldbelly, and they are letting you choose your own adventure – fill your pie pack with any two pies from their bakery. The choices? Apple, pecan, black bottom walnut, double cherry, apricot, and raspberry in chocolate. We’re particularly intrigued by the raspberry in chocolate, because it’s not something we’ve seen anywhere else. And if you’re hosting Friendsgiving as a supplementary meal, you want to make sure to set your offerings apart. Dare to be different.
BUY NOW: $134.95.
4. Thanksgiving Harvest Party Place Settings
We breathed a sigh of relief when we saw this kit of festive party place settings – because it takes care of everything! Gatherings has assembled a collection of placemats, place cards, plates, cups, cutlery, napkins, dessert plates, and more – and best of all, they are on-theme, and super-cute. And they’ll make cleanup that much easier. Friendsgiving is about having a great time with the people you love, but it’s not about overextending yourself. This kit will make things easy.
BUY NOW: $127.00.
5. Pumpkin Platter
If you are looking for the perfect serving platter for your Friendsgiving, we’ve got it right here. Show your friends you care by making the table look as festive as possible – love is in the details, after all.
BUY NOW: $69.95.
6. Woodland Critters Thanksgiving Party Crackers
These adorable party crackers will add some enchanted (and appreciated!) flair to your table settings. And don’t worry, each cracker is filled with a little surprise – not loads of confetti for you to clean.
BUY NOW: $27.50.
7. Thanksgiving Coloring Placemats
Okay, now we’re getting to the fun part. Since this is Friendsgiving, there probably isn’t a kids table. And you know what that means? Everyone’s at the kids table! As you know, adult coloring books are all the rage, so why not bring some of that whimsy to your Friendsgiving party? It’s probably been a while since your friends got to color in their placemats, so let’s let them revisit that wonderful childhood memory this Friendsgiving. It’s been a difficult season for many people, and these playful placemats will help your friends relax – and have fun.
BUY NOW: $22.00.
8. Table Topics: Holiday Conversation Pack
They may sound cheesy, but if there were ever a time to embrace our inner cheesiness, it would be Friendsgiving. Especially if your meal includes friends from different areas of your life – people who don’t know each other well, or at all – this conversation pack will make things easy. And there are also packs for Christmas and New Year’s, so you can use these all season long.
BUY NOW: $20.00.
9. Football Bingo
For some people, football is an important part of Thanksgiving. And if you (or your friends) are included in that group, perhaps you want to have one of these football bingo sets at-the-ready. Show the sports fanatics in your life that you’re grateful for them, too.
BUY NOW: $55.00.
10. Wingspan
Games and Friendsgiving seem like a good pair. And if your Friendsgiving has five or fewer attendees (or, five people who want to play a board game, and those who don’t mind spectating), consider a game of Wingspan. Not only is Wingspan one of the best board games in recent memory, but it also fits with theme of the day. (We won’t get into the nitty gritty, but the game involves “building birds”- including a turkey). Especially if your guests don’t know each other as well, this will help to break the ice, and keep things interesting.
BUY NOW: $47.33.
Bonus: The Friendsgiving Handbook
If you want even more Friendsgiving advice, you’ll have to check out this book by Emily Stephenson. This is primarily a cookbook, designed for those who plan to cook a Friendsgiving meal. We know that part of the reason Friendsgiving has gotten so popular is because fewer people are able to travel home for the holiday. This means that Friendsgiving is attracting a lot of first-time hosts, and we know that it can be intimidating. It’s a big meal! But with this handy book by your side, you won’t need to worry. And you shouldn’t. Friendsgiving is for you too, after all. You deserve to feel the gratitude of the people in your life. Make sure to take some time this year to appreciate them.
How to host the best stress-free and fun Friendsgiving dinner party, including games, table settings and online foods to order now.
BUY NOW: $19.95.
host a fun Friendsgiving dinner party this year
Those are our proven tips on how to host the best stress-free and fun Friendsgiving dinner party this year, including games, table settings and online foods to order now. Whether you’re hosting or just attending this year, we hope you have a fantastic time, dear reader.
