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The 20/30-Something Guide to Hosting Friendsgiving

By SN Edit

November 11th, 2020

Our 20/30-Something guides give you the inside scoop on our favorite destinations and show you how to shop (or budget!) like an SN insider. And today, we're looking at how to plan a seasonal favorite: Friendsgiving.

Bringing friends and family together for a festive feast is one of the highlights of the fall, but hosting Friendsgiving requires serious planning. Anna and Dana are sharing their 20/30-Something Guide to Hosting Friendsgiving below–snag their tried-and-true ideas for this year's celebration!

Anna's 20-Something Guide to Hosting Friendsgiving

The Friendsgiving Menu for the 20-Something

Every year I pretty much make the same classic menu for Friendsgiving, because why change it up if it's not broken! These menu items are dishes that everyone looks forward to each year. A few of my favorites for the menu are...

Vegan mashed potatoes are my go-to and always the biggest hit at my Friendsgiving! I use Tofutti sour cream instead of milk or cream and I use Earth Balance vegan butter instead of regular butter. They are so so delicious and creamy!
Last year, I made a Miznon's roasted cauliflower recipe that I got from Carrie Nachmani, Arielle's mom! Everyone was obsessed.
Another one of my crowd-pleasing recipes is brown sugar and cinnamon roasted sweet potato fries.

Friendsgiving Decor for the 20-Something

The best part about hosting is getting to be festive. Of course, you can not go wrong with adding some kind of pumpkins on the table with darker colored flowers. This year, I’m going with eucalyptus. I also ordered a full tablescape from Casamia–the Thank-FULL box includes plates, a table runner, napkins, and moss boxes. These boxes make for the most stress-free setup and clean up, with super elevated and disposable utensils and plates and a stunning centerpiece. You don't even have to think about it, everything is in the box! It's a perfect set up for Friendsgiving!

Image by Debby Hudson via Unsplash

Friendsgiving Traditions for the 20-Something

For a Friendsgiving activity, we always go super classic: go around the table and have everyone says what they are thankful for! It's a must! For other games, I love Head's Up, which you can play on your iPhone. It is so fun and interactive and you can record the whole round on your phone, which is always such a great memory to look back on.

Image by Debby Hudson via Unsplash

Dana's 30-Something Guide to Hosting Friendsgiving

The Friendsgiving Menu for the 30-Something

I like to go the traditional route of roasting a whole turkey for Friendsgiving. This is my go-to recipe as it’s pretty simple and easy to follow. The first few years I hosted, I was so nervous about messing it up that I also had a backup turkey catered just in case! If you’re in NYC, Hill Country BBQ was always my go-to for this.

Since making the turkey is a major time investment, I ask my guests to take care of sides and desserts. We circulate a Google doc and everyone adds in what they’ll bring so we’re organized in advanced–we take Friendsgiving food very seriously!

I like to have a few appetizers ready to go when everyone arrives. Obviously, there’s an amazing cheese plate, and we love to make really indulgent bites like Devils on Horseback and Baked Brie. One of my friends always brings multiple trays of the Thanksgiving Dumplings from Mimi Cheng’s in NYC, which are a huge hit!!

Friendsgiving Decor for the 30-Something

Since Thanksgiving itself is so elevated, we like to get very tacky and whimsical with our Friendsgiving decorations. We usually put paper turkeys and leaves all over the apartment. A real crowd-pleaser is our “Get Basted” sign, which is proudly displayed over the dining room table.

One area we don’t skimp on is beautiful plates and cutlery. For a disposable option, I love Coterie Party. And for a more sophisticated look, I’ve been eyeing this set from CB2.

Friendsgiving Traditions for the 30-Something

We love a good theme, and used to throw a party every year called “Flannel Friday” where we had all of our friends dress up in flannel. Over the years, we’ve blended that into Friendsgiving, so now we have “Flannel Friendsgiving” and everyone comes decked out in their favorite flannel look. It adds a fun twist on the night and gets everyone in the fall spirit! Plus it makes for great cheesy photos. My favorite flannels are from Rails, though this year I’m planning to wear my Something Navy Georgia jacket.

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