Are You Celebrating Friendsgiving?

How do you spend Thanksgiving Day? Thanksgiving has always been a festive tradition in my family. My mom loved cooking, baking and entertaining. She’d prepare for days in advance. On the actual holiday, the house was full. My parents always included friends and family members who were alone. There were plenty of leftovers as well, and everyone left with some.

In recent years, the term Friendsgiving has become popular in our culture to reflect the inclusion of friends into this annual celebration that has predominantly been seen as a family event in the past. I love the idea of creating a new tradition around such holidays like Thanksgiving with friends. So many of our dear friends are like family and it’s the perfect antidote for those who are alone or separated from their families.

There are so many ways people celebrate this holiday with friends. Even preparations can be welcome opportunities to connect with one another. This can include cooking or baking dishes in advance together, making a wreath to hang on the door, a garland for the bannister or mantle, or creating other crafts such as paper cutouts and writing name cards for the table. How do you like to spend time with your friends?