Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Life

7 Can’t-Miss Steps to Hosting the Best Friendsgiving

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Brown chapter.

Delectable food, cherished friends, the ambiance of gratitude, what’s not to love about Friendsgiving? Hosting your own Friendsgiving may seem daunting, but if you follow these steps, it may be easier than you think! Delegate some of the cooking to your friends, use fall decor to dress up your table, set out a snacking board, and you are almost there! Here are seven steps to hosting the best Friendsgiving ever.

create a plan

Planning a Friendsgiving can be a logistical challenge. Start by finding a date that aligns with you and your friend’s schedule and then send out the invites! From there, you can start building a list of tasks to complete before the day of, including grocery shopping, decor, and creating the perfect playlist.

Don’t Do it All Yourself!

Do not take on everything on your own! Create a list of everything you will need for your ideal Friendsgiving, such as appetizers, sides, main dishes, desserts, plates, and cutlery. From this list, have your friends sign up to bring what they can from each of the categories. Not only will this offload the stress on you, but you will get to try a multitude of Thanksgiving dishes from your friends!

Think Beyond Turkey

Turkey is of course traditional, but this is a Friendsgiving, so you are allowed to break the rules! Whether you are vegetarian, love pasta, or never really liked turkey, there are plenty of options beyond the traditional turkey to play with. Try a Fall pasta, load up on Thanksgiving sides, or bake up a Fall casserole, the choice is yours.

try out some art de la table

Your table will set the mood for your meal, so dress it up with mini orange and white pumpkins, a bouquet of Fall flowers, orange or red napkins and plates, or even some fall leaves from outside! Check out this guide for steps to set the perfect tablescape for your friendsgiving.

Build a Charcuterie Board

Before the main event, provide a simple charcuterie board for you and your guests to snack from. Get creative with it and layer your favorite cheeses, crackers, fruit, and snacks on a large platter. Make sure to take a picture to admire your work!

Bring a Camera

A picture can say a thousand words, so make sure you are capturing some memories with your friends on your special Friendsgiving!

It’s Not Always Easy as Pie

Pie is the traditional Thanksgiving dessert, but if baking a pie is daunting, there are always cakes, cookies, bars, and more to choose from. Love pumpkin? Try this delicious pumpkin bread. Are apples more your thing? Apple crisp is a super simple dessert to whip up. Prefer chocolate? Brownies are always a good go-to.

Alexandra Tucker is a writer at Brown's Her Campus chapter from Boston, Massachusetts. She writes on style, culture, food, and Providence. Alex is currently a junior at Brown University, concentrating in Public Health and Health and Human Biology. She is a volunteer at The Miriam Hospital in Providence, is a member of the Women's Health Advocacy Group, manages the social media account of Fashion @ Brown, and belongs to the Kappa Delta sorority. In her free time, Alex enjoys doing yoga, frequenting cute cafes around Providence and Boston, doing New York Times crossword puzzles, and exploring Brown's campus on foot with a good podcast.