My Favorite Friendsgiving Ideas

Have you ever considered hosting a Friendsgiving dinner? Today, I am sharing some fun Friendsgiving ideas and DIYs so you can too.

Every year, I host Friendsgiving for our closest friends. It is one of my favorite evenings of the year because the food and friends are the best! I hope you will grab some friends and decide to have a Friendsgiving this year. Today, I am sharing some of my favorite Friendsgiving ideas.

Thanksgiving is about following traditions; Friendsgiving is about making new ones.

If you do the math, hosting Friendsgiving means you will likely have two Thanksgiving Dinners. As far as I am concerned, that’s a win-win, and everybody is thrilled. Especially me!

What is Friendsgiving?

Friendsgiving is exactly what you might think. It is a blend of the words “friends” and “Thanksgiving,” and as the name suggests, it’s a celebration of Thanksgiving among friends.

Sometimes, it takes place on Thanksgiving for friends who can’t be with families. Recently, like in our home, it’s become a secondary Thanksgiving celebration.

What does Emily Post have to say about Friendsgiving?

I found some crucial information on her site.

When, for example, is a Friendsgiving supposed to take place? Emily suggests the weekend before Thanksgiving or the weekend prior, usually.

Is it an imposition to ask everyone to gather for a Thanksgiving meal a week or so before they’ll have another? Not necessarily, but Post recommends deviating a little from the traditional Thanksgiving menu to avoid stealing the real Thanksgiving’s thunder.

And what’s the most polite and egalitarian way to organize a Friendsgiving? Hands down, potluck-style, with dishes and supplies assigned via a Google spreadsheet. “From everything from organizing parties to lending out camping equipment, shared spreadsheets are amazing,” Post says.

Friendsgiving Ideas

This table is from one of our Friendsgiving dinners. The colors in our dining room work so well with our painted walls.

I like having fun with my Friendsgiving table ideas and have used these amazing maple leaf stems for a few years.  I am so in love with the colors.

Adding some fun decor, such as these small adorable fall acorns, is perfect for holding the place cards I made with my Cricut machine.

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I used some colorful wreaths in the center of the table and used them to decorate the table candles.

I also bought a small bag of fall leaves and placed them in the center of the table.

Are You Ready to Host Your Own Friendsgiving?

Where do you start?

You might want to start with this stress-free guide with many Friendsgiving ideas.

Next, put together a guest list and a basic menu to ensure you have everything covered for your potluck dinner. I always cook the turkey and make the stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce. My guests bring mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, desserts, appetizers, lots of wine, and anything else they want!

That’s the fun part of Friendsgiving: You learn about everyone else’s traditions and taste their favorite recipes!

These Friendsgiving plates are from Rae Dunn. I am so happy I bought them when I did, as I haven’t been able to find more in years!

Here is a link to Friendsgiving items such as cocktail napkins, banners, plates, and everything you might need!

I made two really fun items and am excited to share them with you. I cut out placemats from cork fabric and also made polka-dot napkins.

Cork Place Mats

I happened to find this Natural Cork Fabric By the Yard. There are lots of colors. Natural cork is amazing, and I knew I could cut it with scissors and not have to do anything else.

I bought a cardboard cake circle for the circle pattern and cut the cork into 14″ circles.

I love the texture and the peek of color underneath the plates and chargers.

Polka Dot Napkins

Have you ever made decorative napkins before? They are so easy to make and are “no sew.” I am obsessed with these polka-dot napkins and intend to make a lot more for all seasons.

These polka dot napkins add so much color and fun to my table.

I based the width of the napkins on the width of the fabric. (Although I don’t suggest making napkins smaller than 18″ square.) This fabric is  45″ wide, which means I could make them 22″ wide and get two napkins for every 22″ of fabric. I used 88″ of fabric to make eight napkins, which is two and a half yards.

I tore the fabric and frayed the edges, so no sewing was involved!

Look how much fun these napkins are on my table! Imagine how many different sets of napkins you can add to your collection.

Friendsgiving Menu Ideas

Gingersnap Pumpkin Tart

I own many of these mini springform pans and knew I wanted to make a fun dessert for my Friendsgiving table.

I devised a recipe for a tart using gingersnaps and pumpkin, and I loved how they turned out.

Don’t they look amazing?

I love this table.

I cannot wait to host Friendsgiving this year again. We have scheduled it for the weekend before Thanksgiving, and we are having a potluck dinner. I provided a few recipes (upon request) to my girlfriends, and we are all set.

I am so excited!

Friendsgiving Must Haves

Watch My Amazon Live

Click here to watch any of my Amazon Live shows. All shows are recorded.

This live show is titled Everything You Need to Host a Friendsgiving Dinner.

Click here to watch the show.

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