Eat, drink, and be thankful for friendships. Celebrate Thanksgiving together by hosting a cozy Friendsgiving. These ideas for invitations, decorations, food, games, and favors will help you to have a lovely time together.
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What is Friendsgiving?
Friendsgiving is a Thanksgiving celebration with friends.
It’s been also described as “The grown up version of the kids table.”
When is Friendsgiving?
Host a Friendsgiving Dinner before, on, or after Thanksgiving.
Friendsgiving Plan
Any party is more awesome with
- cute invitations
- amazing decorations
- delicious food
- fun games
- sweet favors
1. Cute Invitations
Invite the friends over to this sweet celebration with fun Friendsgiving invitations.
1. Food Fun Friends
Friendsgiving is all about food, fun and friends.
I love this simple Food, Fun, Friends invitation. It gives you a warm feeling and puts you on a relaxed mode.
2. Eat, Drink and Be Thankful
Twinkling lights create the most amazing cozy feeling. And the Eat, Drink, and Be Thankful invitation won’t disappoint. Your friends will be ready to eat, drink and be thankful.
3. Thankful For Friends
Who would not want to receive this lovely message straight to their phones! Though the printed invitations are awesome, there is nothing wrong sending digital ones… especially when they’re this sweet!
Take a look at the digital Thankful for Friends invitations.
2. Friendsgiving Decorations
When I think about Friendsgiving cozy and casual are the words that pop in my mind.
1. Blankets and Pillows to Make Things Cozy
Soft throw blankets and pillows invite your guests to curl up on the couch and get comfy.
Floor pillows provide comfortable extra seating too.
Engage in conversations, enjoy a cup of tea and just spend time together.
2. Pictures of the Wonderful Times
Be thankful for amazing friends. Celebrate those relationships and display pictures of the fun times you have had with these friends.
3. Friendsgiving Banner
Cute lovely burlap Friendsgiving banner is just what this party needs. It would be perfect to hang up near the pictures.
4. Place Cards
These wooden place cards with words blessed, grateful, thankful, and gather add a nice touch to the dinner table. You have three color options or you can even get them unfinished and paint them to match your color theme.
5. Twinkling Lights
Nothing says cozy like softly glimmering lights.
Hang up Christmas lights over the dinner table, or bring out the candles and let them shine.
3. Friendsgiving Food
What should you serve at friendsgiving?
The easiest answer is whatever you want to.
Some like to do the typical Thanksgiving food: turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes etc.
But you don’t have to limit yourself to those.
Be creative and have a theme like:
- food from around the world
- Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (We did this with our friends and it was a blast!)
- favorite dishes (everyone brings their favorite dish and dessert to share)
- waffle bar
- potato bar
- all about pumpkins
- taco bar
- finger foods
- pizza bar
- soup and bread (chicken soup, butternut squash soup, broccoli-cheese soup, tortellini soup, Italian wedding soup…)
- hot chocolate bar
Turn your Friendsgiving into a Soup Party! After seeing all these easy ideas you’ll find yourself planning the coziest Friendsgiving soup party ever.
4. Games for Extra Laughter
Welcome the guests with hot apple cider, sparkling wine, or hot buttered rum.
Games add a nice touch to any party and Friendsgiving is no different. Games are great icebreakers and they will lead you to fun discussions and great memories.
1. Toast To Friends
Make a toast to friendships or have each guest make a toast to another guest. It could be something simple like expressing a couple of good traits about the friend.
2. Who Am I
This easy ice breaker game can be played at the dinner table.
What you need:
- sticky notes or clothes pins
How to play:
Write a Thanksgiving related word on each sticky note or clothes pin.
Put a sticky note on everyone’s forehead or back of their shirt.
Each player takes a turn in asking the group or another guest “yer, no” questions in order to guess the word on their sticky note.
If you get a “yes” the player can ask another question. If you get a “no” it’s the next player’s turn.
3. Great Minds Think Alike
Do you know what your teammates think?
What you need:
- Game Sheet for each player (10 Thanksgiving/autumn related questions) Make your own or get the Thanksgiving printable game set! I’ll show it to you in a moment.
- Pen for each player
How to play:
- Divide the guests into teams.
- Give everyone a pen and game sheet.
- Read one question at a time.
- Each player writes down the first three things (or just one thing to make it more difficult) that come to their mind.
- After each question, count how many people on each team have written down the same word.
Points: If you have 5 or more people on each team give points as follows:
- 3 points for every word that 3 players have in common
- 4 points for every word that 4 players have in common
- 5 points for every word that 5 players have in common
FRIENDSGIVING FUN
Friendsgiving Games for Fun and Laughter
4 Awesome Printable Friendsgiving Games
- Finish My Phrase
- What Would ____ Choose?
- Categories
- Great Minds Think Alike
4. Never Have I Ever
This is a great game if you have guests who don’t know each other well.
You’ll get to hear all sorts of fun stories and you might just learn something new about friends you have known for a long time too.
What you need:
- 10 pieces of candy for each player
How to play:
- Give everyone 10 pieces of candy or chocolate chips.
- Take turns making “never have I ever”-statements, for example, never have I ever jumped out of a plane.
- Those who have done it eat one of their candy pieces. Ask them to tell about the time they jumped out of a plane.
- Once your candy is gone, you’re out.
5. Don’t say Yes or No!
It’s actually pretty hard not to say the words “yes” or “no” when asked questions.
The game comes with 50 question cards, each card has 10 questions.
One player takes a card and reads the questions to the opponent. If he answers yes or no, ring the bell and keep the card. If you go through all the questions and the opponent does not use the forbidden words, he gets the card.
6. Fall Themed Games
Any of these fall themed games would be great. Run around and roll on the floor laughing. It will be awesome!
7. Great Conversations
This is not exactly a game but is a fun Friendsgiving activity. Use these conversation starters to get those great conversations going.
You find the Thanksgiving conversation starters here.
5. Fun Favors or Hostess Gifts
Great memories are the best party favors but it is also fun to have little treats for the guests to take back home.
1. Pumpkin Soap
Cute pumpkin soap in lovely, soft autumn colors! Just perfect!
You have SO many scent options to choose from.
2. Spoon With a Heartfelt Message
Yes, friends are an important ingredient in the recipe of life.
Personalize these wooden spoons and give as Friendsgiving favors. The spoon also makes a great hostess gift.
3. Wine Bottle Bag
Fill this cute wine bottle bag with candy or put a bottle of wine or sparkling juice in it. A lovely way to thank the guests for coming or to pamper the hostess.
Throw blankets, hot cider and fun games are an easy way to make this Friendsgiving a warm, cozy occasion.
Have a wonderful time planning and hosting.
Tuula
P.S. Explore other ideas for this Holiday season. You’ll love them!
Bring On the Christmas Cheer!
Christmas party fun!!
Fill those stockings with ease!
Candy cane seeds are awesome neighbor or coworker gifts.
FRIENDSGIVING FUN
Friendsgiving Games for Fun and Laughter
4 Awesome Printable Friendsgiving Games
- Finish My Phrase
- What Would ____ Choose?
- Categories
- Great Minds Think Alike