HOW TO DO FRIENDSGIVING LIKE A PRO

It's November which means it's officially ~holiday szn~ and I am so here for it. We've been doing Friendsgiving for the past few years now and I think our group just about has it down to a tee. Follow these steps to have a happy, full, and drunken Friendsgiving with your pals 🎉

1. .Set a date. Do you know how hard it is to accommodate the calendars of 10+  busy a$$ people?? Start talking and planning as early as possible to make sure you find a date that works for everyone.  
2. Designate a location. 'Your place or mine?' - a question as old as time itself. Find a place that works best for everyone. This year our group went all out and did a little weekend getaway at our friends lake house in Lake Geneva!
3. Gather your crew. It may be hard for those with soooooo many friends that you can't keep track of but ~luckily~ I don't have that problem so it was fairly easy 😉
4. Delegate the dishes. Sides, appetizers, desserts, oh my (god, I'm full)! Google doc's is a major 🗝 to seeing exactly what you need, what others are bringing, and what staple items you may have forgotten. True story, this is how we figured out someone needed to make gravy lolz.
5. Don't forget the turkey!! In the midst of thinking of all the wonderful appetizers and side dishes galore I almost forgot about the dang bird. Find someone who knows how to make a turkey because I, for one, am not that person. We put Bill on turkey duty and he actually used a smoker to cook it and it was ah.mazing. 
6. A big batch cocktail of some sort is a must. Get a little fun & festive and make some sort of cocktail concoction that you normally wouldn't have. We had apple pie shots this year - a Friendsgiving staple in our group; YUM. Some other ideas: some mulled wine, cranberry moscow mules, apple cider sangria, etc. Turn to Pinterest - it never lets me down. 
7. TIME MANAGEMENT. Set a time you'd like dinner to be ready and around that, plan everything that needs to be done; what needs to be reheated in the oven, what still needs to be made, and what time the turkey will be ready. Things can get pretty crazy with 10 people all needing to use the oven to warm up their goodies so plan accordingly. I'm pleased to say that we planned for 7pm and we were sat down eating almost 7pm on the dot. Well done, friends. 
8. Make sure booze is plentiful. It's generally easier for people to buy booze for themselves and then kind of have a free for all once the festivities begin. Whats mine is yours, friend - so long as I've got enough White Claws to keep me sufficiently buzzed for the night. 
9. Don't overlook the miscellaneous items! Small things such as utensils, cups, and shot glasses, paper towels, extra tin foil are easy to overlook definitely important to account for so the burden doesn't fall on the host. 
10. No party is complete without some games. I'm a Phase 10 freak (look it up) so I carry the cards in my purse basically wherever I go but I also brought What Do You Meme which was a hit!
11. Decorations are extra, but so am I. Hit up Party City, Home Goods, or Target for some cute little decorations! I brought my letterboard and wrote out a cute message but some other ideas would be a small banner to spell out Friendsgiving, festive napkins, or even an amazing turkey hat (peep picture below). 
12. Take care of the host. Put them at ease - make sure their drink is always full, the food keeps coming, don't get too wild, and clean up for them! 
13. Bring the morning after essentials. For festivities that carry on through the night, make sure you bring the recovery goods: Gatorade, Advil, bible (for some of you animals). 
14. Music! Designate a DJ or create a Spotify playlist! My pro tip: 'Have A Great Day' playlist on Spotify is the greatest oldies/happy tunes party jam you'll ever hear. You're welcome. 
15. Remember the real reason you're celebrating. Friendsgiving is about celebrating how thankful you are for the wonderful friends in your life. I'm grateful for this amazing group of people; all the memories we've had together, and all the memories we have yet to create!

Do you celebrate Friendsgiving?

xo, Allie