I love any excuse to get all of my favorite people together, eat good food, drink all the seasonal drinks, and have a grand ole time! If youāre anything like me, you love hosting parties and can find any little thing to make into the biggest bash- if this is you, we def need to be friends. Thanksgiving is fun, but November is all about Friendsgiving nowš„§š¦
The Fall kicks off a party-filled time of year, and for most that means traveling and spending time with their families over the holidays. For some, that means hosting! In case you wonāt be in town during the holidays with your friends, throwing a Friendsgiving party is a great way to still celebrate with your chosen family.
Here are 11 ways to throw the āØBESTāØFriendsgiving party that everyone will keep talking about through the holiday season (and year), and will secure you the spot to host it again next year!
Choose A Theme
Every good party needs a theme, itās a fact. You might be thinking, isnāt the theme Thanksgiving? Well, not necessarily. Choosing a theme allows you to create a foundation to tie everything to- from the name of your drinks, to any activities you have planned, and even the funny names you assign food.
Plan Your Menu
This is one of my favorite parts of planning a party- the FOOD! Taking into account the guest list, I try to make sure that I plan a menu that has something everyone can eat. You want to make sure that you have your meal from start to finish covered, so writing out a list of everything you want to make, the ingredients that you need, and scheduling a time to shop will make sure you donāt forget anything. Since Thanksgiving is a food-heavy holiday, I recommend coming up with a time schedule for each dish so you can make sure there is enough time to get everything made.
- Decide your menu – appetizers, main dishes, sides, desserts, and drinks
- Make a list of everything you need for your theme- invitations, utensils, food signs, decorations, place cards, and whatever else you think you need!
- Make a grocery list- break it down by appetizers, main dishes, sides, desserts, drinks and then the extras like utensils and napkins
- Go grocery shopping and order/make your decor!
- Make a time schedule so you can make sure everything is made by the time your guests arrive, itās okay if you have to make some stuff a few days ahead of time.
Have Themed Drinks
Honestly, there is nothing cuter than having all of your food and drinks go with the theme. An often over-looked piece of the party is the drink table so taking an extra few minutes during your planning time to create a themed drink is definitely worth it!
Here are some ideas to get your brain moving:
Send Out Invitations
Oh, let me just tell youā¦I LOVE a good invitation. I get so much joy from sending out formal and informal party invitations. Thereās just something special about receiving a party inviteā¦it makes you feel thought of, and I love the fact that I can help others feel that way. Canva is a great place to get ideas and make your own party invites- 10/10 recommend!
Check out the invites I made for our dogās birthday parties last year:
Clean Your Party Space
Listen, we all know that a home is lived in, there is no shame in that, but you should definitely pick up the mess and do a good deep clean before your guests arrive. No one wants to see dirty socks strewn about when they come over for a fun party! Doing a deep clean a day or two before the party makes it easy for you to focus on decorating and cooking leading up to party time.
Decorate. Decorate. Decorate.
I am a hoe for party decor. I love decorating in general, but I am obsessed with a good themed party that has decorations that go along with it. It can be something as simple as a nice tablescape, or you can go all-out and decorate everything from your front door to your bathrooms. Either way, the time you put into it is well used, and itās just plain fun.
Here are some Thanksgiving party decoration ideas:
An easy way to jazz up your table and give your guests some things to talk aboutāØ
LOVE a good pie + dessert barš„§
SO cute for when you gather your girls for Friendsgivingš
Give your food themed names and have place cards for everyone attending
Your food names can make or break your theme. Iām not lying when I say that having your food tied into your theme elevates your party so much- it really will be so memorable for your guests! You can get as creative as you want with this, so use your imagination!
Another way to elevate your party is to have place-cards for everyone attending! This helps everyone feel less awkward about forgetting so-and-soās name because itās right there in front of them! Itās also great if you have new people joining your crew. Either have everyone make one for themselves (if you have extra time, let them decorate it and it can be an activity they can do while waiting for everyone to arrive) or you can make them yourself and have them ready to go!
Have an activity planned for everyone to participate in
This depends on if you have a game/party crowd or not. Some people are just fine with eating + chatting, and some need entertainment. The next time its my turn to host Friendsgiving, I want to have a friendship bracelet station- I think it would be so funš
If your group falls in the latter category, here are some easy Thanksgiving activities you can do together:
Plan time to share why you are thankful for one another or what you are thankful for
This kind of ties into having an activity planned, and is one you definitely should not forget! Itās a great way to grow closer as a group and get to know each other better, so itās worth your time. Either go around the table or discuss over dessertā¦whatever way you do it, just make sure you give everyone a chance to share!
Make Fun Desserts
You canāt go wrong with fun desserts. Out-of-the-box desserts are a great way to flow with the party theme and are great conversation starters! In the case of Friendsgiving, you canāt go wrong with anything pumpkin.
Here are some ideas for you to test out:
Make DIY Party Favors
At the end of the night, send your guests home with something to remember your Friendsgiving by! Itās not a requirement, but even something small is a great gesture.
Here are some easy + quick ideas for party favors:
& lastly, my favoriteā¦make mini loafs of Pumpkin Bread for everyoneš
I hope that this helps you plan your next Friendsgiving and that you enjoy everything from the planning to when your last guest leaves. Always remember, the only thing that truly matters is that you spend quality time with your favorite people.
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Happy Friendsgiving, Y’allš„§š¦
