If you’re reading this, you probably can’t make it home for Thanksgiving. Life’s rough sometimes. Instead of drowning your sorrows in a bottle of Grey Goose or ordering pad thai for one from Thai Basil, host a Berkeley Friendsgiving instead.
The first step in hosting a Berkeley Friendsgiving is to, of course, invite people. Send out some text or email invites, or you can even hand make some cool invites. The second step is to find a nice, genial Thanksgiving playlist like this one, or build a kick-ass playlist of your own liking. This way, you’ll set the vibe for a pleasant Friendsgiving evening.
The next step is to decide on Friendsgiving beverages. If you’re under 21, it’s probably a good idea to invest in some apple cider, sparkling pear punch or some pumpkin shrub. If you’re of age, then the possibilities are endless. In such a case, the alcohol’s almost as important as the food. Perhaps try a cranberry sour cocktail or have a glass of chardonnay if your guests want to feel fancy.
After drinks have been decided, it’s time to turn our attention to the main event: food. The first option is to cook everything by yourself, which you’re probably best off not pursuing. If you take on the burden of cooking a Friendsgiving dinner, there’s no doubt you’ll be harshly judged on your cooking abilities. So, skip the trip to the grocery store. A potluck’s your best bet.
Hosting a potluck means most of the food isn’t your problem. This is great, but it also means you have to take the time to coordinate with the rest of your gathering. The important thing is to have an agreed upon theme so everyone knows exactly what type of food to bring. Try a southern barbecue theme or a breakfast-for-dinner theme. Make sure that some people bring main dishes, other people bring sides and the rest bring drinks (or something like that). How to delegate smoothly is a mystery to even the most experienced potluck-er, so it might be best to straight-up tell people what to bring.
The dreaded last step of every Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving) dinner is cleaning up. Remember to have your guests take their dishes home, but take dibs on leftovers. You threw the party after all, why not enjoy the fruits of everyone’s labor?
