Hello everyone, I hope you’re having a lovely morning, afternoon, or evening! Last year, my older sister and I decided to host a “Friendsgivingmas.” Friendsgivingmas is not only a very hard word to type out and spell but also a holiday get-together/gathering/etc. in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with elements of each holiday mixed in. This year, my sister and I decided to host it again, and I decided to make a blog post about this holiday hodgepodge to share some pictures, how I planned it, what we served and did, and all that fun stuff. Enjoy!

>> The Planning Process <<

I am a very organized person and have planned/hosted quite a few events/parties so this sort of comes as second nature to me. However, I will do my best to break down what exactly I do, how I do it, and when.

Step One || Select a date and time.
(about a month ahead of time)

I still live with my parents, so I choose an ideal date, then talk to them and see if that works. Since this will be between two holidays, you don’t want it to be too close to one or the other and especially not running into another holiday. I try for the second Saturday in December.
Since many of my friends work 9-5 jobs, I usually opt for 5:00 or 6:00 as starting times. Ending times are not a huge concern; my folks leave whenever, but that usually ends up being 10:00 to 10:00-ish.

Step Two || Figure out the menu.
(three weeks ahead of time)

Since this is a holiday is in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, you can decide which holiday you will base the menu on. Or you could do a mix of both. I prefer Thanksgiving food (and it’s low-key iconic), I opted for some basic Thanksgiving foods. Also, quite a few of my friends cook/bake and we’ve had quite a few “potluck” style events where folks bring their own side dishes and such, so I made sure to let people know that we would provide a basic assortment of food, and that they were free to bring food as well. However, when doing this, make sure to list what exactly you will be providing (a turkey dish, stuffing, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie) and give your guests an idea of what to bring (ex. other sides and desserts).

Step Three || Figure out how you will entertain yourself and your guests during the event.
(three weeks ahead of time)

This is isn’t exactly a necessity but especially if you are inviting children or want to have some sort of “special event” during your party; this is an important step. Now, I’ve been to Christmas parties where they have White Elephant gift exchanges or the Read-A-Book-and-Shuffle sort of gift exchanges, but even simple boards game will do. If it’s a smaller, more intimate sort of crowd like some close friends, consider making gingerbread houses or even a Christmas movie later in the evening. Socializing can be fun and is certainly an important aspect to parties and get-togethers, but a game, soem crafting, or other activities can help add diversity and some extra fun to a party.

Step Four || Map out how you will set everything up.
(two weeks ahead of time)

The organizer in me has an absolute ball with this one. This is especially important for the food. How will you have it laid out? Is everything jumbled together or do you have main courses on one table and sides on the other? Will it be buffet-style or will the food all be on the eating table for folks to pass around? Where will everything be? Which rooms in your home or apartment will you use?
Since I live in a house, I try to use as much of the room as needed since I have so much. We have an open plan so our dining room and living room sort of mesh together, but the dining room “area” is mainly reserved for eating; that’s where the food and drinks are and the table is already fully set. The kitchen is used to hold any extra foods on the counters or stoves and the island table is for the food-related activity; gingerbread home-making. The living room is ready for mingling and socializing and has board games on the coffee table in case folks want to break those out and play a game or two. Figure out a plan in the best way possible for the space you have. Don’t stress yourself out either, trying to make sure everything looks perfect. People are there to have fun and socialize; not for a beyond-perfect home and beautiful, expensive centerpieces.

Step Five || Figure out how you will decorate your place.
(anytime)

Speaking of set-up and how everything looks. How will you decorate your place?
Now, my family decorates for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving (or at least, we try to), so that’s pretty much already covered by the time Friendsgivingmas comes around. But, maybe you’re stiffer with decorations; you only decorate when December starts, or you keep up your Fall decorations until Winter officially starts. Whatever it is, adding decorations to your place (even a simple Christmas tree and doorway garlands), can add more life and festive cheer to the party. Although this is step five; it’s really something you can do anytime and, again, if you do it immediately after Thanksgiving, it’s really just a forethought and something you’ve already checked off.

>> Our Friendsgivingmas 2022 <<

This is how I planned and set up our Friendsgivingmas 2022 using the step-by-step process above. Now, this event already happened, but I used the future tense to give you an idea of how you could plan out your future events.

– The Basics –

The Date
Saturday, December 10th, 2022

The Time
5:00 – 10:00

– The Menu –

Main Course
Turkey Soup

Sides
Stuffing
Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

Desserts
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie

Drinks
Egg Nog
Rum
Hot chocolate charcuterie board
– marshmallows
– candy canes
– chocolate chips
– caramels
– whipped cream
– sprinkles
– Hershey bars

Other (what my friends brought)
Green Bean Casserole
Garlic Knots
“Grape Salad” (literally just grapes)
Bread
Pizelle Cookies
Peanut Butter/Chocolate Cookies
Cheesecake with Raspberry sauce
Death By Chocolate cake

– The “Activities” –

Mainly mingling and such.
Have simple, quick, and easy board games out if people want to play.
Get gingerbread house materials for people to build whenever.
– honey Graham Crackers
– Betty Crocker butter cream frosting
– candy canes (large & small)
– mini marshmallows
– Gum Drops
– M&Ms
– Twizzlers
– Reese’s peanut butter cups
– gummy bears
– Hershey bars

– The Set-Up –

The Dining Room
Where we will eat.
Christmas tablecloth, napkins, and place settings.
All the food dishes will go right on the table down the center.
Hot chocolate charcuterie board on right buffet
Desserts on kitchen table.
Speaker on the desk to play Christmas music.

The Kitchen
Use island for Gingerbread home-making.
Have plates ready for people to build their house on.
Make sure that dirty dishes are in the dishwasher and the counters are cleared and clean.

The Living Room
Have board games out on the coffee table for folks to play.

– The Decor –

Have Christmas decorations already set-up.
– Christmas tree
– garlands
– tabletop decor
all other typical Christmas decorations

>> The Pictures <<

There you go! I hope you found this post entertaining and/or helpful. If you host holiday parties, feel free to drop any of your planning tips and tricks in the comments below.
Which is your favorite, Thanksgiving or Christmas? Why?
Have you ever hosted a holiday party before? What was it like?
I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day or night. Keep on inspiring others and giving yourself some love!

>> every day holds something enchanting <<