Friendsgiving is a relatively new holiday coming from the terms friends and Thanksgiving. It’s a gathering of friends around the Thanksgiving holiday, usually for a large meal. While some friends like to get together in addition to their family Thanksgiving, others replace traditional holiday gatherings with a Friendsgiving celebration.

There are records of people using the term Friendsgiving informally since as early as 2007, with some claiming to have used it even as far back as the ‘80s. However, it didn’t gain widespread popularity until a 2011 Bailey’s Irish Cream ad. Then, in 2020, the Merriam-Webster dictionary added it to its official records.

1. Host a Potluck and Vote on Your Favorite Dish

Turn a Friendsgiving potluck into a competition by hosting a vote for the best dish. After guests have had a chance to sample all the delicious offerings, pass around papers for each guest to write their favorites, or rank the dishes from one to ten and drop their vote in a ballot box.

The winner gets to take home a trophy. If you plan to make this a tradition, you can reuse that trophy, recording each winner’s name on a plaque in recognition of their award.

Add a memorable twist to the game by gathering all the recipes in a recipe book you send home with your guests after the event.

2. Create a Thankful Pumpkin

Many Thanksgiving traditions also work for Friendsgiving, like sharing what you’re thankful for. If you have a giant pumpkin sitting around, you can use it as a canvas for each friend to record what they’re grateful for.

Pass the pumpkin around the room and encourage each person to share their blessings while writing them down using a marketer on the pumpkin.

3. Dress Up or Down

If you and your friends love any reason to dress up, turn your Friendsgiving into a formal black-tie dinner party. Include fancy invitations, formal attire, place cards, a menu, and your finest China as part of the event.

Those who don’t like dressing up can hold a party for dressing down. Turn your next Friendsgiving into a pajama party, complete with your favorite pair of fuzzy slippers.

To make your pajama bash even more fun, eat your meal in the living room on TV trays while watching your favorite film and snuggling in blankets.

4. Make a Time Capsule

Celebrate your friendship by saving your memories in a time capsule. You can throw in keepsakes from your Friendsgiving, like the invitation or napkins. You might also make items specifically for the time capsule, like taking a group picture or creating a small photo book of the occasion.

Next year you can open the time capsule and reminisce about the event before making a new capsule.

5. Create a Friendsgiving Bingo

Add a fun twist to the traditional bingo game by creating a customized bingo card with common phrases your friends say during the holidays. Some ideas include:

· “I’m stuffed.”

· “I should have worn my stretchy pants.”

· “Is it time for dessert yet?”

As your guests say these phrases, slowly cross off your cards. The first person to get a completed row takes home a prize, like a bottle of your favorite champagne.

6. Set Up a Selfie Booth

If there aren’t pictures, did an event really happen?

Time for you and your friends to step up your selfie game by setting up a photo booth complete with props, a fun background, and lighting to capture the perfect shot.

Be sure to collect the pictures from your friends to create a memorable Friendsgiving photo book.

7. Release Your Inner Child Through Crafts

Break out your crafting supplies and let your friends loose with scissors, glue, paint, and a host of other fun items. You can create turkey hands, holiday ornaments, Friendsgiving wreaths, or draw a picture to commemorate the occasion.

Crafting is a fun way to keep everyone entertained while also allowing you to chat and connect.

8. Play Minute to Win It Games

Break the ice at any Friendsgiving event by playing a series of Minute to Win It games. These fast yet fun games are sure to get everyone laughing and ease into the main events of the evening, like your delicious spread of food.

9. Play Group Video Games

After you’ve eaten a full meal, the last thing anyone wants to do is run around and participate in active games. That’s why sitting on the couch and watching football is a favorite post-Thanksgiving tradition.

You can turn your couch sitting into a fun group game through group video games. Jackbox Games offers party packs with dozens of different games your friends can play together. Just use a TV or computer to run the game while each guest can contribute through their smartphones.

Their games include drawing games where you have to guess what your teammates are drawing, word games with hilarious twists that will leave your guests in stitches, and social games allowing you to chat and connect with others.

10. Play Your Favorite Games

Pull out a board game or a popular card game to liven up the evening. You can add fun twists to classic games like playing giant Jenga or trying out Uno Attack.