When people think of Thanksgiving, they may think of spending time with their immediate family and relatives. However, as an alternative to the family-based Thanksgiving, people may choose to celebrate Friendsgiving. Friendsgiving is a separate gathering in which people celebrate Thanksgiving exclusively with their friends.
Senior Victoria Pasmanik said how she and her friends planned to celebrate Friendsgiving.
“This is our first time doing Friendsgiving,” Pasmanik said. “We are making it a potluck with all self-made dishes [from each of our cultures] that are popular in our family Thanksgivings.”
“My family is going away for Thanksgiving this year,” Pasmanik said. “Since it’s senior year, I thought it would be nice to get all my friends together.”
Like Pasmanik, junior Anne Marie Padget also chose to celebrate Friendsgiving this year.
“[I have celebrated Friendsgiving about] three times,” Padget said. “We always do it at one of my friends’ houses and we all love to bring tons of food.”
Padget and her friends also have a couple of Friendsgiving traditions.
“We make gingerbread houses and watch [preferably comedy] movies every year,” Padget said.
Pasmanik said what is special to her about celebrating Friendsgiving.
“What is special about Friendsgiving to me is spending time with friends and eating good food,” Pasmanik said.
Although people enjoy celebrating Thanksgiving with friends, others, like senior Sara Daus, prefer to spend it the traditional way.
“I just hang out with family [for Thanksgiving],” Daus said. “I enjoy talking with my step brother and grandparents [and] feeding the dogs when no one is looking.”
Like Daus, freshman Michaela Wacht also celebrates Thanksgiving with her relatives.
“The best part of Thanksgiving is the food and surrounding yourself with loved ones,” Wacht said. “I spend it with family because family is forever, I’m thankful for them and I want to be around them.”
Freshman Cynthia Wan said that Thanksgiving is a significant day to bond with family.
“Friends come and go, but family is forever,” Wan said. “My family is always there for me, and I want to appreciate them for how much they’ve done for me.”
Sophomore Hannah Taylor also prefers to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family as opposed to Friendsgiving.
“I don’t celebrate Friendsgiving because I think Thanksgiving is a time to get together with your family,” Taylor said. “Every single Thanksgiving I have been with my family so it would be weird for me to do a Friendsgiving [instead]. I think it is a great time to be with my family because I don’t see them that often.”
Like Taylor, freshman Raviha Akbar said that enjoying Thanksgiving with family rather than friends is very important.
“I think that we should spend Thanksgiving with our families because we already spend a lot of time with our friends and family is often overlooked,” Akbar said.
Although a newer concept, Friendsgiving is a well-received idea among those who do not celebrate it as well.
“Friends can be family too,” Wacht said. “Thanksgiving is just about appreciating what you have in life and being thankful for it.”