The smell of roasted herbs swirls through the dining table, surrounding paper plates stuffed with a delicious array of spiced turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and stuffing. Chatter and laughter engulf the atmosphere as friends fill up the dorm lounge couches, the room humming as it falls into a familiar Friendsgiving rhythm.
Around Grounds, many students and organizations kicked off the holiday season with Friendsgiving — a modern take on Thanksgiving to commemorate the holiday with their friends. Though some who participate host this event just before or after the actual Thanksgiving day so as to not conflict with family celebrations, for others, Friendsgiving is their sole celebration of the holiday.
As their monthly event for November, the Cavalier Cuisine Club recently held a potluck-style dinner last week for Friendsgiving. Club members cooked and brought an array of dishes, ranging from a garlic butter focaccia to apple cider donut holes. Marina Wang, president of Cavalier Cuisine Club and fourth-year College student, thought the Friendsgiving event helped connect attendees within the organization’s community.
“Having a Friendsgiving or potluck-style event provides a way for students to still have a chance to feel connected to a community,” Wang said. “I think also being able to sit down to enjoy a fresh, hot, homemade meal with other people is always a bonus.”
Like Cavalier Cuisine, the University's Baking Therapy Club hosted a similar event to spread gratitude among its group members. Saturday, the club put on a Gilmore Girls Thanksgiving club meeting, where club members baked pumpkin pie cupcakes, coffee cookies and banana muffins together.
Like Wang, Hannah Yim, president and founder of the club and second-year College student, wanted to create a Friendsgiving event this year to help cultivate a community among club members. She hopes that the meeting brought club members together and helped create a calming and relaxing experience for students to de-stress together during finals season.
“Everyone kind of looks forward to the holiday season,” Yim said. “[Friendsgiving] is just like a great opportunity to kind of mingle with other people and … be in a different environment, outside of the academic sphere.”
Rather than planning a structured event, first-year College student Ansley Harris opted to celebrate Friendsgiving in a more low-key, intimate setting. Instead of coordinating a potluck-style dinner like Wang and Yim, she shared a meal with her roommate on the Corner. Harris enjoyed the relaxed evening out and said that she thinks it is important to spend time with friends leading up to the holidays, when students’ homesickness may be at an all-time high.
“Especially as a first-year, you don't have a car or a kitchen, [so] you can't make the homemade food with your family,” Harris said. “[Friendsgiving] got me out of my dorm, and it kind of got me away from thinking about how it can be kind of sad to not be with your family.”
Harris believes that it can be hard for students — particularly first-years — to be away from their families, missing out on traditions and festivities for so much of the holiday season. However, she said that celebrating Friendsgiving on Grounds can help replicate some of that festive atmosphere, allowing students to spend time with their chosen family even while home is far away.
“Even though we get a Thanksgiving break … it's still hard to be here for so much of the holiday season before you get to go home and spend time with your family,” Harris said. “Having the same [Thanksgiving] dinner with people you care about and are grateful for ... really helps.”
Wang echoes Harris’ statement. She remembers how she, too, experienced homesickness during her first year, especially around the holidays. Wang believes that celebrating the holidays with others can help ease the seasonal loneliness that tends to creep in.
“Homesickness is definitely something a lot of people experience in college, especially around the holidays when they're not able to go home,” Wang said. “So I think having a Friendsgiving … provides a way for students to still have a chance to feel connected to a community.”
While it is near impossible to replicate the same sense of belonging and support that can be found in one’s family home, University students value their chosen family’s company as a close second. Yim appreciates that Friendsgiving offers an opportunity for students to form new traditions on Grounds and celebrate Thanksgiving before they depart for break.
“It may not be your family, but it’s still someone that you care about a lot,” Harris said. “So you can still have some sort of tradition and structure before you get to go back to what you're used to.”
Looking ahead, Harris hopes to make Friendsgiving a cornerstone of each holiday season during her time at the University. She has fond memories of celebrating Thanksgiving with her family, and she hopes to share those traditions with her friends here.
“I just like the aspect of sharing food or time with people that you're grateful for and that you care about, and letting them know that you're thankful for them,” Harris said. “That's a really important concept, especially in the state of the world today. I think the more love we can give to each other, the better.”
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