JennySays...: How the Friendsgiving was won

I know, what better time to post about Friendsgiving than two weeks after the fact when no one cares?????

(Well. I’ve been too busy eating.)

I hosted Friendsgiving two weeks ago and and...well, a few people showed up...

A photo posted by Genevieve (@jennyjenny504) on Nov 11, 2014 at 9:07am PST

“Are 42 people really coming?” asked Sara, my new roommate (shown above, making that exact same face) when she saw the Facebook invite replies.

“No way!” I said. “Facebook is filled with a bunch of liars!” (Hahhaha....uhhh no offense).

“It will probably be half that many people,” I said.

BUT GUESS WHAT?!?!?

MY FRIENDS ARE'T LIARS!!!!

UNLIKE THE PILGRIMS!!!!

(Actually, I’m not sure if the pilgrims were liars.)

(Wait...)

(uhhhhhhhhhhh)

In truth, I was expecting around 20 people. It was a Sunday, it was rainy, and everyone was instructed to bring a homemade side dish, which, you know, is work.

My twin sister, Joy, started the Friendsgiving tradition several years ago when I lived in New Orleans where, as host, ~~she~~ her boyfriend fries a whole turkey and everyone brings a homemade side dish.

I moved back to South Carolina at the end of last year and this was my first Friendsgiving as co-host.

As always, with any party that I help throw, I spent the hour leading up to the party fretting over whether anyone would show up (hahahahahaha)

So I busied myself with banana pudding.

The previous week, I had read several “how to host a perfect Friendsgiving” lists on Huffington Post, which instructed people on what to bring and how to act, blah, blah, blah.

But they left out a very important tip.

“ICE! WE NEED ICE!” I declared, while bringing empty ice chests to the back porch for guests to store their beer.

“Hey can you bring ice on your way?” I texted my friend who lives a few minutes away. “You can go to that stand on the corner where you pay $1.75 for a 16-pound bag!”

After a few minutes, she texted me back.

“Umm do you think you can ask someone less pregnant to do that?”

Hahahahaha

I almost slapped myself with the stick of butter I was holding.

Insider tip: the seven-month pregnant friend shouldn’t be the one to haul 16 pounds of ice in and out of her car. In the rain.

THANKS, HUFFINGTON POST.

Haha

And, with over 40 people there was hardly room for everyone’s delicious food on the table.

And, we hadn’t really come up with a concept on where people would sit at all.

THANKS, HUFFINGTON POST.

Hahahahaha

But, in truth, I don’t think anyone expected us to have those pesky details figured out. Because they’re our friends and they know us. (And we make it up to them in mulled wine.)

Now, I don’t really want to bring up the Indians and (lying) Pilgrams, but I do want to make the analogy that friends of all different kinds came together for our Friendsgiving.

Old friends, new friends, former roommates, current roommates, pregnant friends, friends’ children (ones outside of the womb), kickball friends, co-workers, our friend’s mom!

All were meeting each other, catching up, moving in and out of rooms, serving themselves from the 25 side dishes and TWO fried turkeys, eating banana pudding out of plastic cups when we ran out of plates (60 PAPER PLATES! WE RAN OUT OF 60 PLATES!)

It was just like the Pilgrims and Indians, except not enemies, people from all different walks of life coming together for revelry and fried turkey and more pumpkin pie than I could eat in my lifetime.

Now, I know this is cheesier than the three mac-and-cheese dishes we had on the table (nom nom nom nom nom with Ritz crackers on top), but I was sincerely touched by each and every person’s presence that evening.

We’re all getting older (well some of us don’t act it as well as others do...ha) and people lose touch over the years, and even with everyone’s busy schedules, the number of people who took the time out to FRIENDS-GIVE was touching.

It’s hard to feel alone in the world when you have so many people around you.

And knowing that each person slaved over a hot stove all day to make absolutely delicious food made it an absolutely wonderful Friendsgiving— MY FIRST! (that’s what she said)—and one that I will never, ever forget.

...And THAT'S what I’m thankful for today.

That, and the fact that I now have an excuse to always only ask guys to bring the ice.