Friendsgiving, friends-giving. Friends are giving.

Friendsgiving. The ever-loved holiday event leading up to Thanksgiving. What makes Friendsgiving so unique is its difficulty to plan. Suggesting the idea in the group chat seems easy, but actually enacting the plan is something else.

When my floor first suggested having a Friendsgiving, everyone was on board. When it came to the actual planning of the event, however, it was crickets. No one knew who could make what, we lacked any decorations, and the only thing we knew for sure was that someone was making green bean casserole. But even so, we knew we wanted to make this happen, so we came up with a few rules to organize it all.

  1. Everyone who comes must bring an item.

For our Friendsgiving, we went with traditional Thanksgiving items like turkey, cranberry sauce (sorry Daniel, we had canned), and mashed potatoes. There was one definite rule though: if you come, you must bring an item! That way, we could keep it better organized and ensure there was enough food for everyone who wanted to come. 

  1. Items must be confirmed in the spreadsheet.

This was the hardest part of it all. The reluctance to sign your name up for an item was palpable. No one wanted to do the turkey, the biggest feat of all. Nor did anyone want to work on bringing the stuffing. The spreadsheet is simple: items to bring on the left, person bringing them on the right. Yet, this reluctance was a problem. To counter this reluctancy, there was a simple plan…

Confront them in person.

Putting people on the spot always works since it forces out an answer, so if anyone is reluctant to answer you on the group chat or put their name on the list, just talk to them in person. It works almost 100% of the time. Then, once they confirm their item, keep pestering them. Ensure everyone understands their duties for Friendsgiving by constantly reminding them. Absence does not make the heart grow fonder in this case. If they forget, your Friendsgiving starts to shatter, so remind them.

  1. All supplies needed must be listed in the spreadsheet and supplied by different people.

This is arguably the most simple part of Friendsgiving, just tell everyone what is needed for your dish, and see what everyone has. Do you need a spatula? Room 213 has one that they offered to share. What about a salt shaker? JJ’s has a few to spare. By dividing and conquering what’s still needed versus what people readily have, the cost of Friendsgiving decreases. 

  1. Put your hard work together.

The night before, set up your final decorations and confirm (yet again) with all of the guests what they are bringing. By confirming and decorating the night before, you ease the stress of the actual day. There’s less focus on forgetting an item and more ability to just enjoy the happenings of the Friendsgiving event itself.

Friendsgiving is a special time that can be difficult to plan, but as long as you have a few willing participants and the ability to pester people, you are guaranteed to make it out of the group chat.

A successful Friendsgiving via Bwarchives