Host a Friendsgiving Party

Thanksgiving is around the corner. If you are not hosting, or Thanksgiving is low-key for you this year, I would suggest you host a Friendsgiving Party. Pretend you are coming to my Friendsgiving party, and I’ll explain how to host this party and why.

How We Started Friendsgiving

Our kids live across the country, and it can be too expensive to fly. I love Thanksgiving food, and I love celebrating the day. One year, I invited a family over on Thanksgiving. They accepted, but then rushed to their family after the meal. The next year, I decided that a week before Thanksgiving, I’d host a Friendsgiving. From then on, I hosted Friendsgivings.

Food Ideas

I invited enough people to fill the available chairs in my house. Last year, it was 12 people, including 8 adults and 4 kids. I texted my guests inviting them to come. The main dish was my responsibility, and I had them bring the sides.

I made a turkey breast, potatoes, gravy, Swedish meatballs, and beverages. They each brought veggies, salads, desserts, and appetizers. I served sparkling water with pomegranate juice and my cranberry spice tea.

We had plenty of food to eat and lots of extras. I would have invited more peeps, but my seating was limited. Here are some Thanksgiving Recipe ideas in this Blog. I love my stuff recipe and homemade cranberry sauce, and savory sweet potatoes.

Decorating

I set the table with brown paper rolled out across it. I used rosemary sprigs from my backyard, rechargeable candles within the sprigs, and a little pumpkin in the middle. Fun but not that fancy. I purchased some Thanksgiving napkins to dress it up.

Activities and Games

After our meal and dessert, we made Thanksgiving bags. I will add the information on how to make them at the bottom. We filled bags with peanuts, dried fruit, pretzels, and Bugles to symbolize Thanksgiving. I instructed each family to make two. They made one for their family and were to give one to a neighbor. I told them to invite a neighbor to church (invitation attached). The kids loved putting the bags together.

Next, we played a Thanksgiving Mad Lib game and filled in words for a Thanksgiving story. They were funny. Mad Lib link. Then, at some of the kids’ requests, we played Thanksgiving charades. They love this game, and the kids are really good at it. It’s perfect to play for adults and kids. Everyone acts out Thanksgiving words and guesses. Make a list of words, cut them out, and put them in a jar so everyone can pick one to act out.

In years past, we used to play Thanksgiving Bingo with prizes for our family. This has been our family tradition, but we decided to play some different games this year.

You must have prizes that kids or adults can win, and everyone wants to win. Chocolate is a good prize. We chat, and the night flies by quickly, especially when kids are here.

Plan a Friendsgiving, and you won’t have to feel like you spent Thanksgiving alone.

On Thanksgiving morning, we walk our city’s drumstick dash and come home to a meal that I partially pre-make the day before. We enjoy the whole afternoon hanging out, and we even decorate for Christmas. I actually enjoy the low-key day, because I know I won’t be missing out on the gathering of family and friends. Plan your Friendsgiving or family Thanksgiving today.

Blog ideas with activities to do this Thanksgiving month. Thanksgiving Ideas

Supplies for the Thanksgiving Treat Bags

One year, I gave these bags to my kids’ teachers at school and church. They loved them.

Make a printed ¼ sheet of the listed food and symbolism.

Recipe:

Adjust the amount of the food based on the size of your bag.

Cellophane Bags with twist ties and Twine to add the Bag Tag.
Fill the Bottom of the bag first, in this order
1 cup Peanuts
8-12 orange candy slices to cover the Peanuts (can substitute dried fruit)
1 cup Candy Corn- substitute anything corn-related.
1-2 cups Pretzels
2 cups Bugles on top so they won’t crush.
Tie the bag shut and add a tag with twine.

Nutritionally, this has sugars, colors, salt, fats, and more, but it’s fun, and you are giving it away as a snack for once in a lifetime. The gift receiver can share it and won’t have to eat it all.