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 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
Cozy 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 in a relaxed mode.
2. Eat, Drink and Be Thankful
Twinkling lights create the most amazing cozy feeling. So does this Eat, Drink, and Be Thankful invitation.
Send it out, and 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 printed invitations are fantastic, there is nothing wrong with 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 additional 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
A lovely Friendsgiving banner is just what this party needs. It would be perfect for hanging up near the pictures.
This cursive letter banner has several color options!
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 cozy Friendsgiving into a Soup Party! After seeing all these easy ideas, you’ll find yourself planning the most relaxed Friendsgiving soup party ever.
4. Activities and 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 clothespins
How to play:
- Write a Thanksgiving-related word on each sticky note or clothespin.
- Put a sticky note on everyone’s forehead or the back of their shirt.
- The players take turns to ask the group or another guest “yes or no” questions to guess the word on their sticky note.
- If the answer is “yes,” the player can ask another question. If “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.)
- 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 minds.
- 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
Great Minds Think Alike game is included in the game set below!
FRIENDSGIVING GAMES
- Categories
- Great Minds Think Alike
- What Would…Choose?
- Finish My Phrase
Four fun games you can play during or after the dinner. A great way to get to know each other a bit more!
View the Thanksgiving Games or
Pdf file. Nothing will be shipped to you. 30-day money back guarantee. Currently, only available to customers in the USA.
4. Never Have I Ever
This is an excellent 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 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.
- Take a card and read 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.
Get the Yes – No Game and see who can avoid the yes or no answers in this fast-paced game.
6. Fall Themed Games
Any of these fall-themed games would be great. It will be awesome! Run around and roll on the floor laughing.
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 essential ingredient in the recipe of life.
Personalize these wooden spoons and give them 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.
Host a Cozy Friendsgiving Summary
Throw blankets, hot cider, and fun games are an easy way to make this Friendsgiving a happy, cozy occasion.
Display pictures of your friends, make heartfelt or hilarious toasts, get to know each other more by playing Friendsgiving games such as great minds think alike and what would…choose?
Have a fantastic time planning and hosting.
Tuula
P.S. Explore other ideas for this Holiday season. You’ll love them!