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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Iowa chapter.

As Thanksgiving break approaches college campuses all across the nation, students are excited to spend quality time away from their books and with their families. Not only is Thanksgiving break a great time to recharge at home with the fam, but also a time to appreciate those who get you through the week on campus—that’s right, I’m talking about Friendsgiving! 

We all know that college dorm rooms and apartments can be far from home and sometimes anything but homie, but with these tips below you can have the best Friendsgiving one could dream of while before giving finals week one last hurrah! 

The Décor 

For a Friendsgiving one does not dine but dines in style. 

  1. Tiny Fake Pumpkins, it’s way too cold for real ones right now
  2. Twinkle lights from Amazon, you can prime it with the fake candles! 
  3. Assorted bean bag chairs your friends own
  4. Fake candles, as your apartment complex certainly does not allow real ones
  5. Plenty of reusable glasses for drinking, skip the plastic, save a turtle this holiday 

The Food

I recommend a potluck style Friendsgiving, sharing is caring, and yes, I am the friend who can’t cook.

  1. Miniature Ham Sliders 
  2. Green Bean Casserole
  3. Sweet Potato Casserole 
  4. Roasted Brussel Sprouts 
  5. Baked Asparagus
  6. Vegetarian Stuffing
  7. Butternut Squash Soup
  8. Buffalo Cauliflower 
  9. A Lot of Potatoes (Mashed, scalloped, roasted, French-fried)
  10. Veggie tray- I got this one!

To find even more Friendsgiving recipe ideas, check out this pinterest board! 

The Dessert

Because, frankly, it should have its own section. 

  1. Pumpkin Pie
  2. Blackberry Cobbler
  3. Apple Pie
  4. Caramel Brownies
  5. Brown Sugar Maple Cookies 

The Games

It’s not a party without some friendly competition!

  1. Cards Against Humanity- a party game where using fill-in-the-blank statements with sometimes risque words and phrases.
  2. Smart A** – a trivia board game with questions about geography, famous people, and objects where knowing the right stuff gets you winning the title of Smart A**.
  3. Catch Phrase- a word guessing game, where you try to get family and friends to guess the word you describe without actually saying it. 
  4. Trivial Pursuit- another trivia board game where knowing random stuff about popular culture comes in handy!
  5. Euchre- a trick-taking card game trying to win trumps of suits, if you’re in Iowa, like me, everyone around you will likely know how to play it. 

The Cocktails 

To make the above category a little more fun ~if you’re of legal age~

  1. Pumpkin Spice Mules
  2. Apple Cider Mimosas
  3. Whiskey Cranberry Slushie 
  4. Pumpkin Pie Martini
  5. Apple Crisp Punch

And finally, The People

You can literally forget everything else listed above because all you really need are your friends. Friendsgiving is a great time to show your friends your impressive turkey-shaped veggie tray, or that you learned how to bake a pie over the summer when they were all gone, but there is nothing more vital to a Friendsgiving celebration than surrounding yourself with the people who become your second family. So, here’s to my friends, my future friends, you, your friends, and my veggie tray- Happy Friendsgiving! 

Image Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Hi all! My name is Audrey and I am so ecstatic to be writing and creating and getting to share it with all of you! Thanks for clicking!