Now that the thrill of spooky season has ended and finals are rapidly approaching, it may seem impossible to celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving break often means precious study time for students. If you have family that doesn’t celebrate or you have no chance of returning home, it may seem like a full home-cooked meal is out of the question.
If the smell of pumpkin spice wafting out of Starbucks and leaves changing colors has you in the mood for turkey, fear not. You don’t need to go home to experience Thanksgiving, you can host your own Friendsgiving right here in Gainesville.
I know what you’re thinking: “Ain’t nobody got time for that.” Who could possibly have the time and money to prepare a full soiree when we barely have enough time to sleep? That’s why I compiled this guide on how to throw the best Friendsgiving when you cannot channel your inner Monica from “Friends:”
The Food Set Up
Publix’s Turkey Dinner
Grab a couple gallons of sweet tea along with your fully cooked meal, and you’re ready to go. They offer a large turkey dinner that feeds 14 to 18 people and a smaller version that feeds seven to 10 people. The turkey takes a little over two hours to heat in the oven, and the sides vary in cooking times, with some only needing to be put in the microwave. It includes heating instructions and needs at least 48 hours advance notice to place your order. The large turkey dinner comes out to $89.99, which comes out to about $4.99 to $6.43 per person. The smaller version of the turkey dinner offers a 10 to 12 pound turkey, with half portions of large sides that costs $49.99 or about $4.99 to $7.14 per person. The large turkey dinner includes:
- One 16 to 18 pound Butterball® Fully Cooked Turkey
- 5 pounds of dressing
- 5 pounds of mashed potatoes
- 64 ounes of Publix gravy
- 56 ounces of Marshmallow Delight
- 32 ounces of Publix cranberry orange relish
Cracker Barrel’s Thanksgiving Meal
Cracker Barrel is a bit pricier, but it also offers more to choose from than Publix. The Heat n’ Serve Holiday Family Meal To-Go can feed 10 people, and the Homestyle Turkey n’ Dressing Family Meal To-Go can feed up to six people. These are available for order between Nov. 23 and Dec. 1 and require at least 24 hours advance notice. It can take up to two hours to cook while the Homestyle Turkey n’ Dressing Family Meal To-Go is served hot and ready. Both options are $12.49 per person with the first one being $124.99 for 10 people and the second being $74.99 for six people. The Holiday Family Meal To-Go includes:
- Two oven-roasted turkey breasts
- Cornbread dressing
- Turkey gravy
- Cranberry relish
- Choice of three country sides (each serves 10)
- Sweet yeast rolls
- Pumpkin pie and pecan pie
While the hot n’ ready version comes with:
- Turkey
- A sampling of sugar-cured ham
- Cornbread dressing
- Turkey gravy
- Cranberry relish
- Your choice of three country sides
- Choice of bread
Boston Market
Boston Market switches it up even more by offering a turkey option, a ham option or a turkey-ham combo option. The Complete Thanksgiving Meal for 12 is priced at $119.99 or $9.99 per person. It takes right around two hours to cook, and they also offer options for smaller party sizes, with varying prices from $83.99 to $64.99 depending on chosen variations. There are even options for just choosing a-la-carte or desserts. You can order around two weeks before and have it shipped frozen to your door. Pick up or choose a hot n’ ready option to be picked up Thanksgiving Day. The Complete Turkey Meal ($119.99) includes:
- One roasted turkey
- Two orders of vegetable stuffing
- One order of spinach artichoke dip with crackers
- 24 ounces of cranberry walnut relish
- Two orders of mashed potatoes
- 12 dinner rolls
- Two orders of gravy
- One apple pie
- One pumpkin pie
Decorations
With all that food, you have to make sure your apartment, dorm lounge or other humble abode is equipped to handle gravy time. That’s where the Dollar Tree comes in. All these decorations and ideas use items that come from the Dollar Tree and require little time to make.
Creatively use tablecloths
You can use the Dollar Tree’s fall-themed tablecloths like a normal person would or you can channel your inner artist, creating a photo opportunity for your guests. Simply hang one of them up on an empty wall and line with ribbon to make a backdrop for guests to take photos. Also, you can pick up photo booth sign kits and let your guests create the Instagram posts of the season.
Cover everything in leaves
In the fake flower section, there are a bunch of fall-colored leaves that you can go to town with. Sprinkle them on the table to accentuate a centerpiece. Tape some to the walls in a cute pattern. Put one on each plate as a garnish for the plate setting. The options are endless.
Use fake flowers, a glove and a vase to make a centerpiece
Before you skip over this one, let me explain. Do you remember those little hand turkeys you would make as a kid? This is the same concept, except using a glove. Buy a brown or black glove, and stuff it with cotton balls or anything you have readily available. Tie it off, and add a beak and eye to make a turkey. You can put it on a stick in a vase and surround it with flowers to make a unique centerpiece.
Light up the party with some fall candles and little pumpkins
Make your Friendsgiving lit by adding tea light candles in holders, using the fake fall vegetables with your leaves to decorate. The fake fall vegetables come in a bag for $1, so you can use these wherever you see empty space. Just make sure everything is a safe distance from the candle.
Make your own banner by using letters and string
Use the letters from the school supply section and put them on a string to create a banner for your event. You can color them fall colors or use glitter to make them sparkle.
I hope I made it a little easier for you to celebrate Friendsgiving. We all need a break from our studies every once in a while to remind ourselves why we are here in the first place. Gathering with your closest besties and eating something other than pizza bagels can be all you need to put everything into perspective and be grateful for your life. When you are slipping into your food coma, just remember that you did it. You totally threw the best Friendsgiving ever.