When thinking of Thanksgiving, many will picture warm family memories, with a huge turkey, and your dad carving while everyone looks on. Paper decorations everywhere while you catch your grandparents up on school and work and the cute new boy in your life. It’s a lovely picture, but that’s not what I picture anymore. At least not right away.
For the last three years, I have pictured all my friends sitting around a huge table, diving into the food that everyone made, laughing and smiling. Everyone’s dressed up, with rosy cheeks after the wine’s been poured. There’s good music and plenty of reminiscing about our crazy college years so far.
Why do we do it?Friendsgiving is about celebrating this holiday with the people that you spend the rest of your year with. It’s about realizing just how thankful you are for the people surrounding you. These are the people that deal with your drunken rants, your crabby study nights, your much needed ice cream and movie binges. They’re the ones that chose to live with you in small, crappy apartments and deal with your messy habits. It only seems fitting that we have one big night that celebrates just how thankful we are for these friends. Plus, it’s always fun to drop the sweats and get all dolled up with your friends for a big meal.
How do we do it?We start planning weeks ahead of time. The guest list is made, food is assigned, location is set and details organized. We use the very handy tool of Facebook groups to get everything prepared. “Thanksgiving 2014” was a group made by me at the beginning of this month. It started with a poll of what day people are available and goes on to find out who wants to bring what. We usually celebrate the weekend before Thanksgiving so everyone is still in town and getting in the holiday spirit! We have a tradition of everyone bringing a dish to pass and a bottle of wine. After all, Thanksgiving isn’t complete without good food and getting sloshed on wine.
What do we bring for it?
Some Classics.
Stuffins: Stuffing Muffins!!Feel good about stuffing yourself with muffins. This is the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving meal.
Sweet Potato CasseroleThe perfect blend of sweet deliciousness that goes great with turkey.
Wicked Mashed PotatoesMashed potatoes are always good, but there’s something about how they blend with cranberries and gravy that make them especially good on Thanksgiving.
Pumpkin PieThe ultimate Thanksgiving dessert! Just like mom made it.
Pear Salad With Raspberry CreamThen you should throw in something healthy, so why not a Thanksgiving-y salad! This is one that adds a nice fresh taste to the meal.
Also for those 21+, I’ve got a fantastic recipe this year for a caramel apple martini.
     -Apple Pucker
       -Caramel Smirnoff
       -Apple Juice
       -Rim the glass with caramel sauce
And I hope you wouldn’t, but don’t forget the TURKEY!
This is going to be my last Winona Friendsgiving as I am graduating this Spring. It is sad to think about, but it reminds me how I have stayed so close to my friends and gained some extraordinary bonds in my time here. I encourage everyone to find that group of friends, show how thankful you are for them, and celebrate Friendsgiving in whatever way you can.
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