2021 marks the year when many people can finally come together for Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving. As we gather with extended family and friends, here are tips for throwing a happy and healthy party. This article will cover how to organize everything you need for Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving, what to do in advance to save time, how to keep guests happy and comfortable, and – most importantly – how to ensure you have a great time too, as the host.
1. Create Digital Invitations that Include a ‘What to Bring’ List
Evite.com has a ‘what to bring’ feature that allows guests to select the items they will bring to your event. As the host, you can create a list with the items that are needed, such as cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, or stuffing. Attendees can select the items they want to bring when they RSVP. Make the RSVP date early enough so that you will know what everyone is bringing before you begin shopping and cooking.
2. No One Will Judge You for Using Paper Plates
If we’re being honest, guests usually prefer when paper plates are used at gatherings because there’s significantly less cleanup. Using paper products will make your life much simpler and will help you to relax and enjoy the time with your friends and family vs. feeling the pressure to load everything into the dishwasher. And using disposable dishware doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style! Amazon has some great options for disposable dishware, such as this set in black and gold and this set in white and gold.
3. Resist Going Overboard with the Decorations
While a little décor is nice, don’t feel the need to go overboard. This will just add extra items to your to-do list and will cause additional stress. A few small flower arrangements, candles, and some small pumpkins and gourds should be more than enough for décor.
4. Use Place Card Settings
We all know that awkward feeling of being unsure where to sit at a large table. To help eliminate this, consider using place cards so everyone knows where they’re sitting. This can also help bring some additional décor to the table and is a fun way to get creative.
5. Try Variations of Thanksgiving Day Staple Recipes
Of course, every Thanksgiving will always have the staple dishes: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. However, there are tons of other variations that can be added to the menu as well. Food publication Epicurious has 97 side and main dish recipes that are ideal for both Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving. If you are hosting Friendsgiving, the meal doesn’t have to be quite as elaborate as it would be on Thanksgiving Day. Most people who are attending Friendsgiving are there to drink and have a good time. Side dishes and finger foods are ideal: some options include a classic meat and cheese platter, this cheesy corn spoon bread, bacon-wrapped brussels sprouts, baked brie, fontina mac and cheese, or mashed sweet potato bacon cups. If you have friends or family who are vegan, vegetarian, or have certain allergies, be sure to have a few options available, or ask them to bring some of their favorite dishes.
6. Put the Recipe on Each Serving Dish
Purchase disposable serving dishes and put a post-it note with the recipe that will go in each dish. This will make delegating tasks much easier on the day of Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving and will make it far simpler for guests to help with meal preparation.
7. Purchase Disposable Containers for Leftovers
Every Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving is bound to have tons of leftovers, so be sure to purchase disposable containers for guests to take what they need. This will help ensure you can hang onto your Tupperware, too. As an alternative, consider coordinating with a local homeless shelter to see if they can take leftovers. There are certain restrictions around perishable items and cooked meals but call around to shelters in the area to see what their needs are.
8. Don’t Forget the Beverages
We saved the best for last! Making individual cocktails will be extremely stressful, so it’s best to set up a bar area and let people make their own drinks. You can also serve a signature cocktail in a large drink dispenser. Try making this Thanksgiving sangria, this champagne punch with ginger, lemon, and sage, spiced cider, or just a classic vodka soda cocktail with a splash of lemon and cranberry juice.
You can also make non-alcoholic versions of each of these cocktails in the dispenser and leave vodka, gin, whiskey, and other options on the side for people to add what they want. This is great if you have people attending who prefer not to drink or if there will be children around. Have a few bottles of red and white wine available along with beer and hard seltzer options. For beer and hard seltzer, it may be easier to have a separate cooler filled with ice vs. keeping all of the beverages in the fridge. This will keep people out of the kitchen when you’re trying to prep, will eliminate opening and shutting the fridge throughout the day, and will allow people to help themselves without feeling like they’re in the way.
Have regular soda, iced tea, and other non-alcoholic options available in the cooler as well. Don’t feel the need to buy the entire liquor store, AS most guests will most likely bring a bottle of wine or a case of beer. If you happen to run out of alcohol, you can always order delivery through Drizly, Instacart, or MiniBar.
Closing Thoughts
Here’s the most important piece of advice: don’t forget to enjoy yourself on the day of the event. It can be so easy to get caught up in the stress of planning, food prep, and making sure everyone is having a great time. But ultimately this is your event, so you should be enjoying it too!
Additionally, in light of COVID-19, it is important to maintain certain precautions to ensure everyone remains healthy. It is completely acceptable to only invite vaccinated individuals and/or ask all attendees to get a COVID-19 test before attending. You can also ask guests to purchase an inexpensive at-home COVID-19 test online to take before they arrive if they don’t have access to a testing center.
