It’s time to celebrate friends who feel like family. Friendsgiving has become November's “bonus” holiday, giving us a chance to share Thanksgiving traditions (and tasty turkey) with friends.
With another holiday party added to your calendar, we bet you’re looking for ways to make Friendsgiving 2024 memorable and stress-free. Whether you’re hosting or heading to a friend’s house this year, we have nine DIY projects and recipes that will bring ease to what will be an unforgettable Friendsgiving.
Wooden pie carrier
When heading to your friend’s place this Friendsgiving, you most likely won’t be arriving empty-handed. If you’re in charge of making the pie (you can’t go wrong with pumpkin), it can be challenging to keep your pie safe while traveling from point A to B. This DIY pie box will make your pie travels effortless for Friendsgiving 2024, and for many holidays to come.
Stackable food trays
There’s nothing worse than being on your way to the party and dropping the food you spent hours preparing. If you’ve offered to bring multiple dishes (overachieving guests are a host’s best friend!), you’ll find our DIY stackable food trays very helpful.
Instead of traveling with flimsy bags, our stackable wooden trays, with latches and handles, are a sturdier option for transporting your delicious Friendsgiving dishes. This is an inexpensive and beginner-friendly project that will keep your food spills and holiday stress to a minimum. For more advice on packing and transporting food, we love Real Simple’s holiday food travel tips.
Travel cocktail kit
Nothing goes better with turkey than a cocktail (or mocktail). If you’re bringing a signature cocktail for Friendsgiving, a travel cocktail kit could be just what you need. Our DIY travel cocktail kit is functional with multiple dividers, and beautiful with its slick wooden material and metal hardware. And let’s be honest, there’s nothing more sophisticated than walking into a party with a wooden case filled with cocktail goodies.
Kitchen apron
Keep your cute Friendsgiving outfit clean while you’re in the kitchen with our easy DIY kitchen apron. And if you want your apron to be extra festive, you can even use fabric with autumn colors or patterns.
Temporary table for hosting
It can be challenging to fit additional people around your everyday dining table. Create more space for your Friendsgiving meal by building a temporary table. Our beginner-friendly DIY project only takes six steps, and you can customize the size and shape (round or rectangle).
Rope napkin rings
It may surprise you how expensive napkin rings are in stores. But our cost-effective DIY napkin rings are a great way to elevate your table setting without going over budget. Using something as simple as rope will add a cute rustic chic accent that will have your guests talking.
Once you have your napkin rings, compliment them with well-set plates and silverware. For advice on how to create a formal table setting, we recommend checking out Emily Post's table setting guide.
Plus: Our favorite holiday recipes
Gathering with your chosen family is what Friendsgiving is all about—but it’s also an excuse to indulge in tasty fall recipes. Here are a couple of the Dunn family's favorite recipes for the holiday season.
Pumpkin bread: A delicious bread with signature fall spices, like cinnamon and allspice, that pairs perfectly with hot coffee and apple butter.
Molasses cookies: A Dunn family favorite for almost 30 years, these sugar-covered molasses cookies are a classic holiday dessert.
Apple pie float: This drink recipe is a twist on two American classics, apple pie and ice cream floats. Add this to your Friendsgiving as a unique dessert for kids and adults.
Cranberry pecan baked brie: A sweet and salty appetizer that is always a hit at holiday gatherings.
If you're planning ahead for the holiday season, view our DIY Holiday Projects & Tips content for more projects and inspiration!
