Thanksgiving: a whole holiday dedicated to food, family and festivities — in that order. However, for those of us who can’t spend it with our nearest and dearest, here are some ideas on how to host the ultimate, stress-free Friendsgiving, recreating your home away from home.
- Make it a potluck dinner: Hosting a dinner party can be a daunting task. Not only do you want to provide a feast fit for a king, but there is also a plethora of other things to organize in order to transform your home into a Pinterest-perfect Thanksgiving headquarters. A potluck dinner not only keeps your food costs down and gives you some extra time to look in the mirror, but it also prevents any conflicts about who wants what kind of potato or pie. It’s simple — if you want to eat it, then you bring it. This way, your guests can bring their own tastes of home and not feel cheated about not having gravy the way their mommas make it.
*This also means you don’t need to worry about anyone with a dietary restriction. Because let’s be real here, Thanksgiving isn’t really Thanksgiving if there’s no turkey, but your friend can still enjoy his homemade tofu that you had the pleasure of not preparing.
- Make decorations out of what you have: Got any old wine bottles lying around? You’re in college — you definitely do. Don’t throw them out just yet; instead, use them as candle holders or flower vases. For extra ambiance, you can even burn the candles ahead of time so the wax drips down the side of the bottles. Presto — atmosphere in an
instant. - Create a group Spotify playlist: Include your guests in a joint Spotify playlist and get them to add any songs that remind them of being home for the holidays. You don’t need to worry about people judging your music tastes, and all the guests get to listen to a little bit of what they want. Ideal.
- Get the games going: Though we love our friends, we’ve all endured those awkward moments of silence when conversation dies at the dinner table. Have no fear — here is a fail-safe dinner party game to resolve any awkward silences. Get your guests to secretly send you their favorite songs. You will be the only person who knows which song belongs to which player. Instead of using name cards for place settings, buy everyone a wooden spoon and write his or her name and “Thanksgiving 2017” on it. This will double as a microphone later. Play the playlist and have everyone try to guess who sent in what song. If you guess the right person, that guest will have to stand up and give his or her best rendition of the song into the “microphone.” Not only is this game a great icebreaker and solution to awkwardness, but your guests also walk away with a small souvenir from the night to remind them of what a fantastic host you were.
