With the last weeks of the semester coming up, it’s the perfect time to gather with your friends one more time before separating ways to go home for the holidays. From creating the ideal menu for planning activities, this guide will help you throw the perfect Friendsgiving.
Picking a day and time
As college students, we are all swamped, especially around this time. Whether your Friendsgiving plans are with your friends back home or friends here, you have to figure out what time works for all of you to have a stress-free Thanksgiving. For example, nobody wants to rush straight from their lab to make it to the party. Friendsgiving should be a time to reset and spend time with important people in your life.
Choosing a setting
If your Friendsgiving is with your college friends, this part will be necessary. If you invite a few friends for your Friendsgiving, having it in your dorm is a safe option. But even inviting five friends may make the place a bit crowded, especially when trying to find space for all the food and everyone to eat. Some residence halls have rooms that are usually empty, so that is always an option. Nonetheless, a good setting is essential, and you’ll want to figure that out before further planning.
Send out fun invitations
A perfect way to get everyone hyped for Friendsgiving is by creating invitations. You can easily use templates from Canva and other platforms to surprise your friends with an invitation they weren’t expecting. Surely, it would at least put a smile on their face and show your commitment to planning a fun event.
Coming up with a theme
What fun is the prep portion of a party without a theme? Perhaps you may follow a cultural theme where each person brings food from their culture to share. Or, if you don’t know how to cook, a fast-food theme could work, where one person gets burgers and another brings fries. A theme could also have nothing to do with food at all. If you’re a Christmas lover, you could defy the whole Thanksgiving idea and make it a Christmas-themed Friendsgiving by watching a Christmas movie.
Food planning
What is Friendsgiving without food? After figuring out who can attend your Friendsgiving, it’s best to discuss who will bring what. You don’t want people to get the same thing and want to ensure that there are various options. For example, you don’t want everyone to bring a dessert or no one bringing something to drink. Also, make sure that someone will supply plates and utensils, because a Friendsgiving without them can be a struggle.
Create a music playlist
Music can help set the perfect mood. Play it quietly in the background while everyone is eating or while you are all participating in any activities. The best option is to create a Spotify playlist and invite all your guests to it so that they can contribute and add their personal favorites. Or, if someone doesn’t have Spotify or another music platform, send out a Google form asking everyone what songs they’d love to have put on the playlist.
Planning your activities
The eating portion of Friendsgiving can only last so long, so it’s time to plan your Friendsgiving activities. Similar to creating a playlist, you may want to ask your guests what activities they’d like to take place. If someone happens to own a board game, they may like to bring that for you all to play. Card games such as Uno are always classic, or even watching a movie could be an activity. Either way, you’ll want to plan enough to keep the party going and ensure everyone has a good time.
Overall, hosting a Friendsgiving is a great way to show appreciation for your friends. With finals week coming up and all of us feeling a bit stressed, it’s a great opportunity to enjoy yourself by spending time with those going through it as well. Although the act of planning and hosting a Friendsgiving can lead to more stress, the outcome makes it worth it.