I’m pretty sure you’ve guessed from the title of this post that this year will be my 3rd time hosting Friendsgiving at my place. I haven’t technically sent off invites for this year’s event, but I plan on having it next Saturday evening and I’m beyond excited. Now by no means am I a Suzie Homemaker or Martha Stewart, but I’ve learned a few things these past two years that I think are going to help make this year’s event pretty awesome and I wanted to share them with y’all.
Start planning early, but not too early. – If you’re like me you’ll be planning this on top of everything else going on in your life, so you want to start planning early so everything’s not a mess the day of the event, but don’t start planning too early that people forget about the dinner or that you stress yourself out by overthinking.
Potlucks are okay. – Know the strengths of those you’re inviting and don’t be afraid to ask them to bring a dish. I started this the first year and was so happy I didn’t take on the task of preparing everything myself. First of all, I wasn’t as strong in the kitchen as I am now, and secondly my pocketbook didn’t get too abused by me buying everything. Have backups though, things happen last minute and folks might not show. I always make sure that I buy the main meat and have others bring sides and desserts.
Have a seat at the table. – You don’t necessarily have to have a kitchen table to host a Friendsgiving, but you do need to have a place for everyone to sit. My current place doesn’t have the biggest living room, and it wasn’t until recently that I felt comfortable enough to buy more than one couch out of fear of making the room smaller. The room’s more sectioned off, but there’s so much seating in here now. It’ll be cozy, but we’ll be okay.
Pick a signature drink, or spirit. – You can obviously serve more than that particular drink, but have something seasonal that goes along with the meal. This year’s drink will be a whiskey cocktail…that I need to find on Pinterest.
Breathe, eat and have fun! – Don’t be so caught up playing host that you forget to have a good time yourself. Nine times out of ten these are people who have been to your place before so they know their way around. Be a good hostess, but don’t be afraid to let loose and enjoy yourself too.
Have any of y’all ever hosted a Friendsgiving? Do you have any tips that I missed here? Feel free to comment below or tweet me and let me know!