As the holidays approach, you should know you don’t have to do Thanksgiving at home, with family, at all. If you’re single, why not change the routine and try a Friendsgiving celebration this year, instead?

Especially if you can relate to any of these scenarios…

  • After “all these years”, you’re still single and the last thing you want to do is go back to your childhood home and get interrogated about “what’s wrong with you.”
  • You’ve just recently gone through a break up “again” and don’t want people questioning you about what happened to the “last” guy.
  • You’re single and everyone in the family knows it, so you’d rather spend Thanksgiving Day on your own than being surrounded by couples.

If any of these scenarios are true for you, you’re not alone. Here’s a lifeline you may want to try…

Friendsgiving: A new Tradition

It’s a great tradition you can start with your single friends to celebrate your lifestyle and to be thankful for all the great things in your life.

NOTE: You don’t have to totally ditch the family during this holiday. If you don’t want to miss having quality time with your family as well, consider having your Friendsgiving celebration either the day before or the day after Thanksgiving.

Here’s how to pull off a successful Friendsgiving celebration:

Pick the Perfect Atmosphere

First, you want to consider where you’ll be hosting the celebration. You want a place that’s clean, friendly, inviting and festive. Depending on how many people you’re inviting, you’d also want to make sure there is enough space for everyone to enjoy themselves freely.

Make It a Potluck

Unlike Thanksgiving with family where there’s usually one or two people in charge of cooking the feast, with Friendsgiving, everyone shares the responsibilities. No two people should bring the exact same dish either. It might be a good idea for the party planner to assign dishes to everyone so there are no surprises.

Be aware that some of your friends might have food restrictions, so make sure your food selections allow them to also enjoy the party.

Wine and Wine Alternatives

Be sure to ask a few guests to bring a variety of wines and wine alternatives. This is the perfect touch after a great meal with friends.

Bring a Playlist

Great music is a must! You can even have a dancing chain where everyone stands in a circle and nominate someone to start dancing. The person who begins does a simple dance that everyone else must do too, sort of like follow the leader. Continue doing this until the circle is complete and then you add a new dance move to the old one. By the time everyone in the circle has gone, there should be an entire dance routine. This will be truly memorable, so don’t forget to record it!

Play Games

What’s a friends’ gathering without games? Have some fun and simple games lined up like charades, Taboo, or playing cards.

Just because you’re single or away from family doesn’t mean you can’t start your own tradition. Once you initiate this, your friends will be excited about Friendsgiving year after year.

Do you have your own Turkey Day tradition? We would love to hear about it!