Friendsgiving is more than just a pre-Thanksgiving-style meal with non-family members. It’s become a declaration of friends groups entering the new year together. Especially now in college, making time to maintain these connections with people that, in some cases, you haven’t seen in a couple of months is substantial. Here’s a few ways to make Friendsgiving a little more special.
Games
Games are a good way to allow for time to pass while people are still over. But scrap the Cards Against Humanity deck and reach for something a little more interesting. Any board game is a great activity pre or post-dinner to gather everyone together. For something that incorporates more people, a classic card game is always fun, or charades, since there’s no limit to the amount of people that can play. A go-to with my friends from home is Drawful – a game that can be played on Jackbox TV, where there’s a “create your own prompts” setting we fill with our own inside jokes. It never fails. Other fun games can be blackjack or poker, which add fun and friendly gambling into the mix as an extra.
Diversifying Dishes
A lot of the typical Thanksgiving food is repeated over and over again for Friendsgiving, and while you can definitely find a recipe for that one dish you’re bringing, it doesn’t have to be this way. A fun way to switch it up could be by having every person attending bring a special dish from their culture; whether that be a traditional recipe from their hometown, a recipe that’s been passed down generations in their family, or merely just trying something unique and new. That way, it guarantees that there won’t be 4 different people each bringing mashed potatoes. Plus, that way it ensures you won’t be sick of turkey by actual Thanksgiving.
Festive Activities
A great way to get into the holiday spirit is by cozying up and doing something all together that encapsulates the feeling of fall. It’s also a good way to gather everyone together at once after dinner, or an activity to do while waiting for everyone to get there. Some classic Thanksgiving movies are “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”, “Planes, Trains, & Automobiles”, and “Home for the Holidays” are a few classics. Or, watching any football games that are anticipated to be on is a great idea, too. Another activity is hosting your own football game that day. It can be a fun activity where people draft teams and try to score while still including everyone. Plus, football truly embodies the spirit of fall – people coming together to do something they enjoy.
Friendsgiving can become a special tradition where friends come together. It’s a great way to catch up with friends that go to different colleges than you or that you don’t see while at SUNY Cortland. It’s different from being obligated to go see family members – it’s an alternate occasion where you can choose who to spend it with. Making that time unique and memorable will confirm that it can become a yearly occasion to look forward to and become a true time for people to bond together.