8 Tips for Hosting a Cozy Friendsgiving

It’s that time of year—time to pull out your best dinnerware, send the cute invitations and invite all your friends over for a Friendsgiving. We look forward to hosting and gathering our friends to eat delicious food and make memories every year. However, throwing a cozy, inviting Friendsgiving isn’t complete without the right vibes, and this includes so much more than what’s on the menu or how your table setting looks.

From the wise words of Monica Geller, your Friendsgiving ambience has peaked when the “Cider's mulling, turkey's turking, yams are yamming.” This year, we’re taking her words to heart and find ways to create a cozy gathering where all seems right in the world for just a moment in time. If it’s your turn to host Friendsgiving this year, keep reading to make sure you have everything in place to make your gathering the coziest event of the year.

8 Top Tips for Hosting Friendsgiving This Year

1. Send Cute Invitations

Rather than texting all your friends this year, send them a formal invitation. Not only is this a special and intentional way for inviting your guests, but it also makes the occasion more memorable as well. There are so many free and affordable places to make printable invitations. We personally love using Canva or Etsy when we’re searching for invitations. They make the process so easy by providing customizable templates.

2. Plan Your Menu

Planning the menu is by far our favorite part—after all everyone loves delicious holiday food. To make things less stressful, ask your friends to contribute one side or dish. This will make things less overwhelming and give your guests the opportunity to bring one of their favorite foods. 

Once you determine what everyone’s bringing, you can then create your official Friendsgiving menu. Place a printed menu on each place setting for a cozy, intentional touch.

3. Create a Warm Table Setting

Whether you’re wanting your Friendsgiving to be a more casual affair or more elegant, there’s no denying that it definitely needs to be warm and COZY! Adding a festive table cloth, some nice neutral plates, silverware, cloth napkins and cozy candles will make the table a warm gathering place. 

4. Burn a Fall Candle

One of the easiest ways to make your home feel instantly cozier is burning a candle. Fall scents have a way of creating such a warm, inviting vibe. As your guests come in, they’ll be no denying the delicious scent the envelopes every inch of your space.

5. Serve an Appetizer as Guests Arrive

Pro tip: serve an appetizer as guests arrive. This creates a gathering place for your friends as they come into your home. One of the best appetizers to have out on your counter is a charcuterie board — it’s always a crowd favorite. However, small finger foods are our go-to as well. Many times, you can buy them frozen and just pop them in the oven 30 minutes before guests arrive.

6. Curate a Thanksgiving Playlist

Creating a cozy Friendsgiving is all about the ambience, and another great way to set the tone of the evening is with a bomb playlist. We love mixing some cozy jazz, some chill Christmas music and other acoustic covers for a relaxing holiday playlist.

7. Play Some Games

Games are always a good idea — no matter the occasion. However for Friendsgiving, we love to be a bit more intentional. Adding some conversation cards to the table is a great way to break the ice with some friends that may not be as familiar with other people at the table. 

Then, after the food has been served and consumed, you can transition to the living room for more comfortable seating and gathering to play other games. We love games like Fish Bowl, Gestures, Taboo, Scategories or even Karaoke.

8. Send Home Friends with a Small Gift

Lastly, it’s always a fun idea to send your friends home with something little. Whether that be a small fall candle with a packet of matches, a cute coffee mug, a polaroid picture from the evening or even some leftovers. A little gesture to thank them for coming will mean so much!