Most people have been invited to a Friendsgiving before. It’s when you go over to a friend’s home and bring an appetizer or drink with you. Everyone brings their friends with them and it’s an excuse to have a great time before traveling back home to see family for Thanksgiving.
This year, it’s your turn to host Friendsgiving, but what do you do if you don’t have much space to work with? Get creative and approach your living space with a different perspective.
Check out these five tips to host Friendsgiving in a small space, so you can focus on what’s important. Whip up some great food and prepare to have a good time, because your Friendsgiving is going to be a breeze.
1. Rearrange Your Furniture
The first challenge to use your small living space is working with what you have. The way you currently have your furniture arranged is what you like for everyday activities, but how could it be arranged to provide more seating, standing room or space for food?
Play around with your furniture to see what you can come up with. Move the couch to a different wall, put chairs in another room or center all your furniture around whatever tables you have in your home. You can easily move it all back after.
2. Organize Your Kitchen
Think about what’s on your kitchen counters. There might be a coffee machine or a toaster. Will any of it be used during Friendsgiving?
If not, organize your pantry or cabinets to create temporary space for laying out dishes or preparing the meal. This is especially helpful if you plan on doing a buffet-style dinner, but you don’t have a long enough table to fit all the food.
3. Use Your Garage
Those who have access to garage space should use it. Rent or borrow folding tables and set them up in the garage. Lay out snacks and drinks, then leave the door open when it’s time for friends to arrive. Depending on where you live, the cold air will refrigerate the drinks and save you from buying bags of ice. After the party is over, think about converting your garage eventually into something like a game room for future gatherings.
4. Prep Ahead of Time
While you bake and cook, your kitchen feels like it’s shrunk to half its size. Don’t let that happen on Friendsgiving. Prep what you can in the days before to save time and effort.
Think about what you want to serve and make it ahead of time so there’s little to do and lots of room to work with when you set everything up. Mash potatoes, bag dry mixes, slice the bread and bake desserts that can wait in the pantry.
5. Keep It Casual
Seating may be the biggest challenge to overcome. A small living space, might not have room for extra chairs and tables. Instead of having a formal sit-down dinner, keep it casual and have everyone eat on the couch. Turn on music to work as background noise so everyone can eat and chill on the seating you already own.
Ask for Help
You’re the host of Friendsgiving, but that doesn’t mean you’re on your own. Ask your friends for help if you need it. They can bring over chairs from where they live, extra appetizers or desserts and even stay after to clean up.
Most importantly, have fun and enjoy a good time with friends.
AUTHOR: KACEY BRADLEY
Kacey Bradley is the blogger behind The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Along with writing for her blog, she has written for sites like U.S. News, SUCCESS, Guides for Brides, Hotel Online and more!
Follow Kacey on Twitter and subscribe to her blog to keep up with her travels and inspiring posts!
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