Who else LOVES Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving/the whole month of November? I absolutely love this time of year because it’s literally a time dedicated to giving thanks and showing others how much you appreciate them while spending quality time with friends and family. Along with all of that, one of the best parts is the FOOD. Turkey, stuffing, green bean casseroles and pumpkin pie galore! Just thinking about all the delicious food that will be eaten makes my heart and stomach so happy. After hosting Friendsgiving in college, I’ve learned a few tips/tricks as well as what not to do to make sure the night goes by as smooth as possible. Keep on reading for how to host the ultimate Friendsgiving!

1. Make it a potluck!
   • This may seem like a very common-sense tip but trust me, if you have any thoughts of doing all that cooking yourself, don’t! I promise you will thank me later when you aren’t stressed out thirty minutes before everyone arrives about fitting everything in what containers and oh no, we don’t have enough plates! I tell you this because one year, a good friend and I thought that it would be an amazing idea to cook all of the food ourselves and simply invite everyone over to eat. I cannot stress enough to NOT do this! We thought it would be fun and simple to cook a few dishes and it would just be an overall good experience that we would look back on. NOPE! It was so stressful for 2 people to try cooking an entire dinner for 15 people and looking back, I really don’t know what was running through our minds.
2. Make a google doc where guests can write down what they are going to bring.
   • This will ensure you don’t have a table full of stuffing and cranberry sauce with no turkey to eat it with. Also, it just raises excitement for guests when they see all the delicious food they will get to eat!
3. Plan in advance
   • I would recommend sending a poll out 2-3 weeks in advance of a few days that work for you so your friends can vote on which day works for them and you can go with the majority vote. There’s nothing worse than planning an entire event for a day that no one can actually attend. Once the poll is over, set a date and send out those invites! An easy way to do this is through a Facebook event.
4. Make sure to be aware of dietary restrictions.
   • Be sure to ask your guests about any allergies, food restrictions and intolerances so you can be aware when choosing what dishes you want to make. That way, you are aware of what ingredients you use so you know what would be safe/unsafe for your guests to eat.
5. Make a playlist
   • Before the event, put together a playlist of some Thanksgiving tunes to play during your feast. Feel free to get song recommendations from everyone and don’t sweat it about the music preferences. You won’t be able to please everyone and that’s ok!
6. Think about setup- table space, chairs, place for the food
   • If you have a smaller space (such as in a tiny apartment), you may want to think about the arrangement/spacing of where everyone is going to be eating (at the dining table, around the living room, split into different areas). If you need more chairs, be sure to ask around if any friends have some foldable chairs for an easy solution.
7. Don’t forget plates, utensils, cups and ice.
   • This is a simple one, but it can be easily forgotten when you are trying to plan a million other things that seem more important, like all the food. You can either ask one of the guests to bring some disposable ones or just make sure that you have enough to go around for the number of people you’ll be hosting. Imagine if everyone showed up ready to devour the food, only to find out they would have to eat with their hands straight out of the serving dish! You definitely don’t want that to happen, so be sure to grab these items!

I hope you gained some tips/tricks that will you help you plan your next Friendsgiving/thanksgiving event! Thanks so much for reaching and happy hosting!

XOXO Hannah:)