5 Steps to Hosting a Successful Friendsgiving

Is it the chill in the air or the colors of the fall leaves that invokes thankfulness this time of year? Or is it the growing appetite for those holiday staples you’ve been waiting for all year that remind you of family and friends at the table reminiscing the good ol’ days?

Sharing a Thanksgiving meal with others is one of the most special and intimate times loved ones can have with one another. But to experience that time and meal with friends who don’t have family nearby can be a breath of fresh air for you, or a sigh of relief for someone that doesn’t have to spend Thanksgiving alone at their table for one.

Friendsgiving is a tradition my family loves to implement from time to time. When we know of friends in town who don’t have any plans, we make sure to include them at our table for a meal. Sometimes we even create a whole separate mealtime for our friends in order to dedicate our full time and attention to in order to make them feel at home with no strangers.

So for the uniqueness of this post, here are…

5 Steps to Hosting a Successful Friendsgiving

1. The Guest List

Questions to consider when deciding on how many and who to invite to your table:

How many people are you willing to invite?

What is the number of place settings you have?

How many chairs can you potentially fit at the table?

Do you have the motivation and energy for a large group? Or are you interested in hosting an intimate meal with a goal of getting to know your friends better?

Putting all selfishness aside, who needs a friend this season?

I was living overseas and it was my very first thanksgiving away from home. With Thanksgiving Thursday fast approaching, I had no plans in sight to join with others to give thanks and bread bread.

My palate ached for turkey and dressing, and my soul hungered for a familial embrace.

When someone in my new community of friends found out I was to be on my own for Thanksgiving, she invited me to a friendsgiving dinner with people in the same position as I. I didn’t really know this individual, but she understood the need for company on this special occasion.

We may have only had hotdogs, mashed potatoes, and some veggies on a paper plate for that meal, but there was a seat for me and enough love and thankfulness around the table to make it feel like home.

Wouldn’t you like to offer that same kind of abundance for someone without a seat in sight?

Make it big, or make it small.

No matter the sacrifice, consider giving out of the abundance of your resources to show your guests they are loved, they are important, and they are not alone.

2. The Table

After you’ve given your friendsgiving guest list a lot of thought, now is the time to create space for them.

Do you need to borrow extra chairs to accommodate your friends?

Do you have enough place settings for everyone? If you’re wanting to make this as simple as possible, go grab you some festive paper plates and plastic silverware!

Or if you’re like me, and want to be fancy sometimes, grab an inexpensive white, dinnerware set that can be used for years to come for any occasion! Here is a great Corelle set I found on Amazon that could be paired with just about any place setting you already have! For less than $50, you can get 6 extra place settings that will accommodate several extra people for holidays to come. Click HERE to to check it out!

For your middle-of-the-table decor, consider running to the dollar tree and grabbing some greenery complete with pumpkins to stretch across your table. This will fill in some empty spaces and make for a beautiful table!

If you know you’re going to have kids at the table, find some butcher block paper to roll across your table as a fun activity for everyone to write on!

Read 28 Gorgeous Thanksgiving Table Setting Ideas for more inspiration.

3. The Meal

Are you thinking of doing a more traditional meal for friendsgiving?

Are you wanting to go a simple as possible and order takeout?

Many restaurants offer a thanksgiving dinner for you to reserve ahead of time and pick up the day prior to Thanksgiving. All you have to do is pop everything in the oven and voila! Dinner is served.

But if you’ve got the time and energy to whip everything together yourself (or hopefully with the help of others), here’s a typical menu that you may consider for your fall meal:

For many years, I’ve taken on the challenge of keeping the conversation going at the dinner table for special occasions. One thing I like to do is ask power questions relatable to the holiday!

What was your favorite thanksgiving tradition as a child?

Did you have a favorite Macy’s Thanksgiving Float that crossed your television screen this year?

What are you most thankful for this year?

You get the idea.

Be sure to listen attentively to each person and ask further questions to get to know your special guests.

5. The Activity

Finally, have something fun planned once dinner is over and everyone has a desire to stay a little longer.

For my family, we have a tradition of writing on index cards 3-5 things we are thankful for and circling the table multiple times as we go down the list. This can be a great time of laughter and tears as we hear the thoughts and reasoning behind our biggest blessings over the last year.

Another idea is playing thanksgiving charades! You can either have your nouns written out prior to the game, or you can have each person write out a few nouns to put in the hat. Here are some suggestions:

I hope you have a better grip on what you can do to host a successful friendsgiving dinner this year. Know you limits, but understand your strengths! If God has given you a unique gift to make someone feel at home away from home, then go all out and make it a memorable event for them.

It’s not all about you, and that’s a good thing.