For out-of-state or international students, we have to spend our Thanksgiving away from home. Not sure how to celebrate in LA with your friends? Don’t worry—here are six Friendsgiving ideas from a UCLA student!
- road trip w friends
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Go somewhere you usually can’t on a regular weekend! Get a friend with a car and put together a road trip playlist. Here are some recommended road trip destinations based on driving time from LA: Malibu (1 hour), San Diego (2 hours), Las Vegas (4 hours), Mammoth Lakes (5 hours), Big Sur (6 hours) and Lake Tahoe (7 hours).
- Cooking A Friendsgiving Dinner
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If you have an apartment, host a Friendsgiving dinner and cooking party! If not, get your friend with an apartment to host one. You don’t have to stick to the traditional roasted turkey and pumpkin pie. Mix different cultural foods and have fun with it! For example, my friends and I had paella and Thai noodles last Thanksgiving. If cooking is not an option, you can always host one potluck style and have each person bring something to contribute to the table. You can even go Costco shopping together to double the fun! There is no one formula to a Friendsgiving dinner.
- black friday shopping
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As a shopaholic, I have to admit that Black Friday is my favorite “holiday.” Make sure to create a game plan with your friends beforehand—check open hours, compare online and in-person sales and look at locations to make your shopping experience more efficient! If Black Friday is too much to plan, you can always enjoy Cyber Monday from the comfort of your laptop.
- beach night
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We’re in California after all… enjoy a beach night with friends! If you have a car, I recommend going to Malibu or Venice beach. If you don’t have a car, Santa Monica is easily accessible with the Metro! Make sure to wear layers because it can get pretty windy near beaches at night.
- Movie night with friends
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If you’re a movie person like me, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to get into the holiday mood with some classic and new movies! Here are some great holiday movies to watch with friends:
Classics: Edward Scissorhands, The Grinch, The Nightmare Before Christmas (is this a Halloween movie or Christmas movie?)
New movies 2022: Spirited, Falling for Christmas
These were some fun Friendsgiving ideas for 2022. Remember that it doesn’t matter where you celebrate Thanksgiving—as long as you’re with people you’re thankful for, that’s Thanksgiving!