Last year we started a new tradition. We decided that every year, a few weeks before Thanksgiving Elsie and I would host our own Friendsgiving. We adore spending the holidays with our family, and finding time to invite a few friends over for a pre-holiday celebration is icing on the cake. We have the best friends. We truly do. That’s one of the things at the top of “things I’m thankful for” list. We only wish we had a larger table to invite them all!
We ate, we drank and we shared a lot of laughs together. Friendsgiving is fast becoming one of my number one things I look forward to every year! But I have to admit hosting a big meal for a lot of people can be very daunting. It doesn’t have to be stressful though! Here are my top five tips from this year.
1. Make everything (that you can) ahead. I made all of the side dishes the day before. Elsie prepped most of her drinks and decorations the week before as well. So the day of Friendsgiving all we needed to do was roast the turkey, warm up the side dishes just before serving time, set all all the fresh flowers and set the table. We had enough spare time to spend an hour watching our grandfather in a parade honoring veterans.2. Tag team the event. You don’t have to do everything yourself! This might be a no-brainer to a lot you, but I have a tendency to think I don’t need any help (even if I definitely do!). It can be overwhelming and not to mention expensive to prepare everything yourself. I love hosting Friendsgiving with Elsie. She takes care of all the delicious drinks, the decor and preparring her house for guests to come over. I prepare the meal. If you plan to host your own Friendsgiving you might consider asking guests to bring a side dish or bottle of wine. Delegate however you wish but don’t pressure yourself to do everything.
3. Mac & Cheese. This year I decided to make a pot of macaroni and cheese (from a box!) for any kiddos who might prefer that to, say, the brussels sprouts I’d prepared. It was a hit! I will definatley be adding boxed mac & cheese to my regular Friendsgiving menu. The larger point here is to consider everyone. For you this might mean making sure you have a few gluten free, sugar free, nut free, or vegan friendly dishes planned depending on who you are inviting over. When planning out your menu take time to think of everyone on the guests list and what they may need.
4. Try something new. I read all the time that you should never serve a totally new recipe (meaning, one you haven’t cooked before) at a party. I get the logic behind this. What if it’s a flop? But, I just couldn’t disagree more. If you have a favorite/traditional dish that everyone loves why yes, certainly serve that every year. It’s nostalgic. But I highly recommend trying something new too! I love making something new and hearing what my friends think. Even if it is a flop it may turn into the most hilarious and memorable thing from the event. Don’t pressure yourself to plan for and expect perfection. Life’s little messy moments and mistakes can be beautiful too.
5. Tupperware. Buy inexpensive tupperware or disposable take-home boxes to send guests home with leftovers. This is as much a tip for hosting as it is a diet tip. 🙂 You don’t need half a turkey all to yourself. Send those leftovers out the door with guests! They will be remembering your event the next day while enjoying a leftover stuffing sandwich. What, you don’t eat your leftover stuffing in a sandwich? Well, maybe you should.
Thanks for letting us share a peek into our Friendsgiving this year. We will be sharing lots of decor inspiration and recipes from the event this week. Stay tuned. And, feel free to share any hosting tips or Thanksgiving plans you might be making this year. We’d all love to hear it. xo. Emma + Elsie
Credits // Authors: Emma Chapman and Elsie Larson, photography by: Janae Hardy, project assistant: Laura Gummerman. A big thanks to all our wonderful husbands and dear friends: Johnny, Katie, Hope, Posey, Chris, Lauren, Brandon and Morgan.
I believe Katie’s daughter spells her name “Poesy”
I’m in love with this tradition! Your tips make hosting a dinner seem much less daunting… I’ve always shied away from hosting thanksgiving- my mom’s used to take all day!
Quite inspired by your Friendsgiving posts the past two years, so inspired, we copied you. Just wish we had more photos of our friends.
http://vinylsandtea.blogspot.com/2013/11/friendsgiving.html
This totally ROCKS
well done!!
I would love to do host a small Friendsgiving dinner party thing, but I think Thanksgiving host = in charge of the turkey, and being vegetarian I am not about to cook a turkey, haha.
Being a Brit, thanksgiving is not something i celebrate, but i adore the idea of friendsgiving, a day a year to celebrate your friends? Marvelous, definitely something i could get behind, a good reason for a dinner party!
Cate, x
Oh I love this! Gorgeous photos!
I love all of your hilarious (but very practical) tips. I would love to host a Friendsgiving one year, and the idea to do it a few weeks ahead of time is a perfect idea.
wanderful!! please, i need the flower crown tutorial111 😉 hop will be posted soon…
Perfect in every way! I’d love the source of the arrow spoon. Swoon!
Love this idea! We do this with our family too if parts of our family will be out of town. We call it a mini-Thanksgiving.
I was wondering, how do all of you have the same taste? It seems like everyone is dressed well with the same idea in mind. Does everyone just happen to have the same taste? Or do you ask them to come vintage/ABM inspired? :o)
I agree with not trying to be perfect. I once hosted a gathering for friends and made a huge pot of chicken spaghetti. We all realized the next day that I didn’t ever put the chicken in! (It was still in a bowl in my fridge!) No one even noticed the night before, and it’s still a running joke among my friends, even five years letter. Little imperfections like that make fun stories for later!
I love how simple and lovely the decorations are! Such a great idea, and looks like a lot of fun!
Ladies! This is fabulous!!!! So, many great tips and the photos are beautiful to say the least. I look forward to incorporating these ideas into thanksgiving! And next year indeed do a thanksgiving!
We live away from family so every Thanksgiving is with friends and we love it! And I totally agree on making something new each year…keeps things mysterious 🙂
What a great idea!! I want my own version of friendsgiving
So so SO sweet and fun! Love the pictures. Everyone looks SO dapper and charming!
Friendsgiving! I love it!
This spiced butternut squash and apple soup would be perfect for Friendsgiving!
http://districtandmore.wordpress.com/2013/11/12/butternut-squash-and-apple-soup/
There’s not enough seats for everyone. Did Emma and Elsie eat in the kitchen? Or is this all staged?