Thanksgiving: A holiday which prides itself in being family-oriented.
And, while Thanksgiving is just as much about bonding with our second-cousins as it is internally allowing ourselves to break our diets (as if we don’t do so already every weekend), friendsgiving honors something a bit different. Friendsgiving includes the same amount of food, but with the closest people in our lives who didn’t land a spot on that family tree.
With that being said: I’m starting a petition for Friendsgiving, rather than Thanksgiving, to be the national holiday. With your girls, there’s no need to hold back your liberal feminist ideas just because Uncle Robert said something misogynistic at the table (again). There’s no answering no, when asked if you went to college to find a husband and not a degree. There’s no pressing questions that beg the answer to where you see yourself in five years.
At friendsgiving, there’s only full wine glasses and fuller stomachs.
There’s only eruptive laughter when reminiscing on when we all thought Ryan was the one for Delaney or, even worse, when we thought scrunched hair was the look. There’s only good company and, eh, subpar food (can’t beat Mom’s home cooking), but no one’s here to judge.
Because there are no rules for this non-holiday holiday, anything goes. Chic, warm, cozy? You’ve got it. Minimal, low-budgeted, probably-buying-a-plastic-table-cloth-with-leaves-on-it from the local Dollar Tree? That works too.
But, since no Friendsgiving goes un-Instagrammed, if you’re looking to curate some wow, their friend group is fabulous why aren’t we like that content, I’ve got the tips to help achieve that aesthetic.
1. Serve what you want
Going off of the whole no-rules thing: Most of us know that if we’re to cook a turkey in our apartment, there’s about a 99.9% chance the fire department is on our guest list. So, screw the turkey. This is where those Pinterest desserts come in handy. Everyone’s got a sweet tooth and everyone’s got the capability to follow the directions on a cake mix. At least we hope.
2. Don’t sweat the invite list
The more interesting the group, the more interesting the night. Here’s where college friends can mix with high school friends just as well as vodka mixes with cranberry.
3. Assign everyone a job so you’re not stressed about making everything perfect
Katie’s got the old family-recipe. Josh’s got the plastic utensils. Mary’s got the booze.
4. Decorations can be cheap too!
Don’t underestimate how much junk you can get from a Rite Aid.
What do they say? Fake it til you make it? Same rule applies here. No one can tell those glasses are plastic if you give it the right filter on Insta.
5. Scroll through the “fashion” tab on Pinterest
Dressing the part is half the battle. Make sure everyone gets the memo: Goodbye to your Temple pullovers for the night. Let’s see some over-the knee boots and chunky H&M fall-colored sweaters up in here, ladies.
And, finally, if your party doesn’t go exactly as Pinterest promised it would, remind yourself that this holiday – be it Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving – is about being grateful for the people in your life. And, that laughs with friends, meaning the kind that make you snort spiked cider out of your nose are very, very irreplaceable.