The holidays are coming up, and while Thanksgiving might seem like the first big celebration, Friendsgiving kicks off the season. Friendsgiving, a tradition particularly popular with Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z, is about gathering with close friends before Thanksgiving for a more laid-back and fun-filled event.
Instead of the formal family dinners that can come with holiday stress, Friendsgiving offers a casual, relaxed vibe. People typically celebrate with a big meal where everyone brings a dish, plays games, and enjoys each other’s company without the pressure of traveling or family obligations. For many, it’s a chance to share laughs, memories and great food in a low-pressure setting. Some students have just recently started celebrating Friendsgiving, but other people like Olivia Kowal ’25 are coming up on their fourth year of celebrating this holiday.
“Since freshman year, my friends and I have had a blast celebrating Friendsgiving,” Kowal said. “I think we started doing it originally because we always heard about the older girls doing it, but we’ve continued the tradition because it brings us closer as a friend group and we think it’s great to get to celebrate a holiday together.”
A sophomore friend group including Lauren Crawford ’27 has been influenced by social media platforms on TikTok to start taking part in Friendsgiving. Crawford and her friends have decided to have a small celebration with each other the Saturday before Thanksgiving. They have a lot to prepare, but have found that it’s easiest to get it done if they delegate jobs to each person.
“We’re really excited to have our Friendsgiving this year,” Crawford said. “One of our friends volunteered to host, and everyone else is going to bring their own dish. Once we figured out who was bringing what, it became a lot less stressful, and now we’re just ready to have fun with each other.”
Being together is the best part of the holidays and Friendsgiving allows friends to spend time together rather than just with their families. Spending time as a friend group on a holiday helps friends make lasting memories. Molly Kendall ’26 and her friends had the best time last year being together and have still been laughing about something specific that happened during their celebration.
“We had the best time last year because it was so casual and stupid that we could all just relax, celebrate, and be together,” Kendall said. “We did have one mishap when one of my friends was attempting to transport the turkey to the host house, she ended up spilling the whole thing all over herself. No one cared though. It was really funny and we laughed about it the whole night. This year we are doing Friendsgiving again.”
