Friendsgiving is the perfect opportunity to celebrate not only family and togetherness, but also all the joys that come with being alive! As college students, having a family among your friends is so important, and I think cherishing and reflecting on that relationship is just as important as celebrating with your actual family. Friendsgiving provides the perfect opportunity for delicious food, fun, quality time with friends and cute photos! Here’s a list of my best tips on how to host the best Friendsgiving ever.
1. Make it a potluck
Potlucks are the best, not only because it relieves you of having to do all the work, but you’re also able to have a variety of different foods from different cultures! There are so many different holiday dishes to make, and what better way to experience them than through a holiday centered around food? Not only will this make your job easier, but you’ll all get to eat quicker and enjoy more time together!
2. Have snacks on hand for munching throughout the day
People can eat. Sometimes when you host, it’s unbelievable how much food people consume, so the last thing you want to do is leave them hungry. Having little snacks like chips and crackers will help in keeping your friends satisfied until the real meal is ready.
3. Give your friends and yourself a chance to reflect
Thanksgiving is so special because of the emphasis on gratitude and appreciation. A fun way to get people to reflect and reminisce is to cover your table with packing paper and then draw some lines by each table. Each person is able to write down what they’re thankful for. It doesn’t matter if you write down your blessings or stand in a circle holding hands saying them out loud, it’s always nice to take a moment to think on all the positive things to be thankful for.
4. Cut yourself some slack
Let’s be honest, rarely any event you host goes “perfectly.” Food takes longer to cook than expected, there’s something you forgot to pick up last minute, there’s a shortage of ingredients that you didn’t anticipate, and mistakes are made. Don’t fret, these things happen! More than likely your friends won’t care about the little things that go wrong, as they’ll be so happy that you’ve worked hard to put this together! Give yourself more credit and enjoy the party!
5. Get it all prepped
I’m sure the last thing you want to be doing the day of is stressing about chopping up ingredients and seasoning your food. Try and prep some of your food the night before so that way you can just begin the actual cooking process. Plus, letting the seasoning marinate overnight is the best way to get the best flavor! This will relieve a lot of pressure and make the day much more enjoyable!
6.Have containers for leftovers
As we all know, Thanksgiving always entails too much food, thus providing for the delicious leftovers (which somehow always end up tasting better than the day before.) Of course we know that buying a lot of plastic containers can get expensive, so keep it simple with styrofoam to-go boxes to allow all your guests to take home the yummy food for the next day.
7. Be prepared and stay organized
Prepping in itself can sometimes be boring, but it will truly make hosting easier as you’ll be one step ahead of the stress! Creating a checklist can be helpful in making sure that you have everything you need, and it will prevent you from scrambling through your brain for all the little things you’ll need. Staying organized will also help in making sure everything runs smoothly and prevents unnecessary stress.
All body images are courtesy of Cosmopolitan