Here’s When You Should Celebrate Friendsgiving This Year

I think we can all agree that Friendsgiving is the best faux holiday of the year. But perhaps what we've yet to agree on is: when is Friendsgiving, exactly? It's easy to love the holiday, a dinner party that excludes all family drama, in lieu of a friends-only guest list and gives everyone a chance to show off their potluck skills. But as it's not an official holiday, it's not actually on the calendar. So while National Pepperoni Pizza Day and National Rubber Band Day get their own dates, Friendsgiving is this vague meandering holiday that can't seem to stick on a date.

That said, while the holiday isn't observed on one special date, there is a range of dates that are generally considered to be prime Friendsgiving time, and that's any time between Nov. 21 and Nov. 26. But, it's totally acceptable to celebrate any time between now and Thanksgiving. While of course you're free to celebrate after the official holiday, the reality is that there's a very little chance that anyone will want anything to do with turkey after the big day. So, to ensure that your Friendsgiving gets the excitement and appreciation it deserves, it's always best to celebrate before the main event. If you're looking to celebrate Friendsgiving on Zoom this year, this gives you a ton a flexibility to work around friends' schedules.

If you haven't hosted a Friendsgiving celebration because you're overwhelmed by the prospect of all the cooking and cleaning, know that this millennial-forward holiday is really the anti-holiday in that you are automatically relieved of all of the traditional responsibilities of celebrating a holiday. Generally, the dress code is whatever you want it to be, so feel free to instate a sweatpants-only rule. The menu is potluck, so if you don't know how to cook a turkey, you can delegate someone else to do it, and the dining style is: whatever works. While you'll want to take COVID-19 safety precautions if you're gathering in-person this year, depending on the amount of people, location, and if everyone quarantined beforehand, you could have a socially-distanced picnic or sit around a coffee table in front of the TV while you and your besties marathon-watch Tom Hanks movies and enjoy the gift of elastic waistbands and no rules.

If you're hosting over Zoom, you won't have to worry about providing food or drinks — which is perfect if you can't cook — but you can all agree on what to eat order the same dish to keep the spirit of the holiday going.

As for the entertainment, you can play a drinking game, have a talent competition, shoot a TikTok video, play board games, do a YouTube tutorial — Friendsgiving is whatever you make of it. If you're hosting virtually, make sure you have conversation starters and online games lined up.

Friendsgiving a holiday devoted to showing gratitude for your friends and actually celebrating your friendship. So there's no reason to stuff yourself into uncomfortable dress clothes or rent a white table cloth or bring out the un-chipped china, you can do this however you want. If you want to go all the way, go all the way. If you want to keep it light, it's your right. Don't miss an opportunity to celebrate the holiday because no one's stepping forward to host. Raise your hand and get the party started, Friendsgiving memories will keep you warm through whatever chilling holiday-related family drama is to come in the next months. Celebrate whenever your schedules permit, Friendsgiving isn't like other holidays, it's a cool holiday.