When I was in high school I heard my peers joke about the concept of friends having a potluck and celebrating Thanksgiving together. In my youthful immaturity, I thought it was a great idea because that meant another thanksgiving party. More servings of stuffing and pumpkin pie, my absolute favorite. I did an official Friendsgiving this year with my housemates, which changed my whole outlook on the concept. While my housemates and I were all close, Thanksgiving is in midterm season so it’s safe to say we were pretty busy. Besides the everyday chatter and the nights we saved for fun, there was little time for each of us to have good, meaningful conversations with one another. With all of the distractions and commitments in everyone’s lives, we did not realize the benefits of having a sit-down dinner together.
We went around the table saying what we were thankful for and while the food was delicious, no one could stop talking. The conversation was deep and meaningful to each one of us, and that day brought us closer as a house and as friends. To me, Friendsgiving brought the true meaning of Thanksgiving to Queen’s. It showed the importance of turning off your phone and all distractions, to celebrate the things and the people you are thankful for, and I cannot wait to do it again next year. While the term might sound funny or lame, to me it made Queen’s feel more like home. Now it is a tradition in my house to have a meal together at least once a month.
I don’t know about you but when I think of Thanksgiving, I picture all of the delicious dishes I get at home. Friendsgiving does not have to mean spending your entire budget for the month. Keeping food affordable is not a limit on this event, it allows everyone to get creative. I even got my housemate, who hates cooking, to make the packaged gravy. Some ideas are; to switch out the turkey for a rotisserie chicken, bread and cheese as an appetizer, make stuffing and gravy from a box, and share the costs with your housemates, its a group effort. Overall, you will find, while being so delicious, it is not the food that makes Friendsgiving, it is the company. Take it from me and throw your own Friendsgiving next year, it will not disappoint.