It's the season for rerun posts, and here is one of my favorites.
Friendsgiving. It's become, as we say here in the United States, "a thing".
It's interesting to see how a holiday evolves, because I was
introduced to the concept when my spouse was in the military, back in
the mid 1970's. That's way before the TV show Friends, which some
credit in making this unofficial holiday popular. But Thanksgiving
among friends is a lot older than the show Friends, and I know this from
experience.
Although the term did not make it to the Merriam-Webster dictionary until 2020, military members have been doing this for years, without a name.
Think
about it - young men and women hundreds or thousands of miles from
home. For some, it's their first Thanksgiving from home. Many are
single. Travel home, for many, is out of the question. Young military
people do not make a lot of money.
So you turn to the people you are with - your fellow military people. We decided to host a Thanksgiving at our one bedroom apartment for some of my spouse's buddies because my spouse loves to cook.
We did the traditional Thanksgiving with one major exception - a non traditional pie, anyone? Here is my blog post about the experience.
I
don't remember asking for food contributions, but nowadays a lot of
Friendsgivings involve potlucks. And, although our Friendsgiving was on
Thanksgiving Day, a lot of young people hold this the weekend before
Thanksgiving. That will be this coming weekend.
After all, not everyone has a happy family life. Some would rather skip the drama. Or,
sometimes, people just want to hang out with friends. Or co-workers.
As far as I'm concerned, Friendsgiving is, and will continue to develop, as a wonderful tradition.
That 1976 Friendsgiving (what I remember of it) is a cherished memory of my youth.
Or maybe my spouse and I were years ahead of our time.
Have you ever hosted or participated in a Friendsgiving?
...I must live in a cave, Friendsgiving is new for me.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who has done one every year. Haven't been to it, but it sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteSoybean pie sounds …interesting
ReplyDeleteSome people don't want to spend time with their families, and they should totally find a friend group to do the holiday with. I've never done a friendsgiving as my family behaves pretty well on the holiday. But I can see situations in which this would be the thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI haven't participated but think its a great idea for all the reasons you mentioned. Its a wonderful day to eat great food and be with the people who make you happy.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked at our local town hall, we had a big pot-luck the Thursday before Thanksgiving. We had about 75 participants. It was great fun!
ReplyDeleteNo, it was always a grandmother's house or my parent's house when I was growing up. As an adult, just immediate family.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like SUCH a wonderful tradition! Nothing can make one sadder than celebrating the holidays alone. Well done, indeed!
ReplyDeleteYes, we've had Friendsgivings, we live so far from family and finding a group of friends in the same situation made the holiday so much fun. We all would bring something, coordinating with each other, so it wasn't too much work for any one person.
ReplyDeleteI have not, but I think it’s a great idea.
ReplyDelete