The holiday season is full of fun celebrations and times to be festive. With Halloween coming to a close, Thanksgiving close behind it, and then winter break soon after that, it’s a packed season. But there is one other holiday missing from this list, and that’s Friendsgiving.
Friendsgiving is a time to be thankful and celebrate a pre-Thanksgiving with your closest friends. Normally this celebration takes place a few days before Thanksgiving, but there really are no set rules. Since most students tend to leave their college campuses to go home to celebrate Thanksgiving with their relatives or friends, Friendsgiving is a fun way to sneak in some extra college friend time before the busy holiday hustle and bustle starts.
So, you decided to have a Friendsgiving celebration, but now what? What food will you have, what games will you play, how will you make the celebration special? Don’t worry! We have plenty of Friendsgiving ideas to incorporate into your celebration and spark your creativity.
Planning The Food
Everyone knows one of the most important parts of Thanksgiving is the food, and that’s true for Friendsgiving too! We know that, as college students, you probably don’t want to be spending bucketloads on providing food and drinks. We suggest you make your Friendsgiving a potluck situation.
Have each friend bring something to contribute to the feast. You can create categories for food such as
- appetizers
- protein
- sides
- desserts
- drinks
Have different people bring things from different categories so all the bases are covered.
One of the best things about Friendsgiving is that you get to choose what type of food you want. Traditionally, it’s Thanksgiving-type food, but it really can be anything… Mexican, Chinese, American, the possibilities are endless.
Friendsgiving Games
To take this Friendsgiving to the next level, plan games and activities to keep everyone entertained and involved. These Friendsgiving games could turn a normal dinner party into a night filled with laughter and fun.
1. Giant Jenga (Or Regular Jenga)
This game can get pretty heated and tense as more and more blocks are removed, but that is part of the fun! You can have two large teams of multiple people and rotate through or maybe consider starting a Jenga bracket. Two people are matched up at a time, and whoever wins will continue on the bracket. Here is a bracket template website we found that you can customize with everyone’s names and then print it out.
2. Fun Card Games
Card games never go out of style. Whether you just have a normal deck of cards or a specific card game such as What Do You Meme, Never Have I Ever, or Cards Against Humanity, pull it out and add these games to your game table as options to play. Ask around to see if any of your friends have card games they want to bring along too.
3. Charades & Pictionary
A classic. Who doesn’t love a fun game of Charades? This game can be so much fun with any size group of friends. Or if you’re not so into acting things out, try playing Pictionary instead and break out those amazing drawing skills.
4. Outside Sports
To any “Friends” fans out there, you may already have this game on your list. In the Thanksgiving episode “The One with the Football” from the TV series “Friends,” the group plays a game of football outside together. Outdoor games are a great idea to incorporate into your Friendsgiving. You could play football, cornhole, frisbee, or basketball if you have a hoop. The possibilities for outdoor games are endless. It’s the best way to work up an appetite before a Friendsgiving feast.
How to Make Your Friendsgiving Even Better
How you create your Friendsgiving is completely up to you, but we have a few extra tips and tricks to elevate your celebration and turn it into a special night.
Invitations
Get crafty and creative and send out invitations. Maybe this is in the form of a physical paper invite or maybe just a specially crafted text. Either way, create a festive invite for all your friends. Invitations are a great way to get everyone on the same page for location, timing, and what to expect.
Decorations
Another way to get crafty is by making some of your own decorations. Maybe you create a handprint turkey garland or paper pumpkins to spread around your living area. However you decide to decorate, there are so many fun ways to create the Thanksgiving mood without breaking the bank.
The opportunities to make your Friendsgiving epic are endless. Don’t be afraid to get creative, include all your friends, and create lasting college memories. Friendsgiving is a time to spend with and be grateful for your friends.
If you weren’t already planning on celebrating Friendsgiving, talk to your friends and begin planning; it’s not too late! Sharing special occasions with your college friends is a great way to have fun and have an excuse to get together—not that you need one.
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