Recently, on social media, I saw the following event being shared: “Golden Girls” trivia and Thank-You-For-Being-a-Friendsgiving.

As a “Golden Girls” fan, I was intrigued and fascinated by the idea of a Friendsgiving. (And let me just add that this isn’t about taking the “thanks” out of Thanksgiving, as one troll suggested on the comment thread. This is about celebrating friendship at Thanksgiving.)

I soon began to think about how to host the perfect “Golden Girls” themed Friendsgiving.

First of all, you may be asking yourself: why would one want to host a Friendsgiving at all? What makes it different from Thanksgiving?

Friendsgiving is great for people who don’t have families with which to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s also good for people who have families they don’t get along with—or that don’t live nearby. It’s also good for people with families who aren’t supportive of them for one reason or another.

For example, activists may feel more inclined to have a Thanksgiving with like-minded people, rather than doing a traditional event with people who may not agree on basic things like equal rights. But, it’s also a great way to celebrate friendships. It doesn’t mean that we have to give up our traditional Thanksgiving. We can, instead, throw a Friendsgiving, too—perhaps on another day of the month.

So, how do we do it? And why the “Golden Girls” theme?

Okay, so the “Golden Girls” theme is entirely optional, but it is fabulous.

So, here are a few ways to make the Friendsgiving have a “Golden Girls” twist:

>> Host a trivia night.

>> Play a “Golden Girls” themed board game. (There’s “Golden Girls” Clue and Monopoly!)

>> Dress up as characters from the “Golden Girls.”

>> Play a “Golden Girls” themed game of Heads Up Charades in which guests have to guess which character is written on the card on their head based on clues. (This is possible for both men and women, as there were many male regulars on the “Golden Girls.”)

>> Take turns telling the most outrageous story, Sophia-style. (Picture it, Sicily, 1921…)

Then, to make the dinner “Golden Girls” themed, it’s important to have cheesecake for dessert. And don’t forget to start and end the night with the theme song!

At least one entree should be Italian (for Sophia and Dorothy), Scandinavian (for Rose), and Southern (for Blanche). Decorate in gold to top off the theme, and make sure guests come ready for some laughs. If you want to throw in gift bags for the event, joke shop items are reminiscent of Stan, Dorothy’s ex-husband and frequent guest on the show. Going around the table to express gratitude for one another is another excellent way to wrap up the event, and it seems like something the girls might have done (humor in our thanks is always welcome).

In truth, a Friendsgiving can have any theme, but the most important part is to celebrate and express gratitude for our tribe, our squad, and the ride-or-die people in our lives. It’s about coming together to make memories at a time which is commonly reserved for family, but can also include the other people we love. There are so many people in our lives who share love but not blood, and it’s important to take time to recognize, appreciate, and create memories with them.

So maybe the “Golden Girls” Thank-You-for-Being-a-Friendsgiving isn’t for you. Maybe your thing is a “Friends” themed Friendsgiving. Or “Mad Men.” Or “Game of Thrones.” It doesn’t matter what it is that unites us or how we plan the event. What matters is that we have a great time, make memories, and express our gratitude.

~

~

Relephant:

6 Alternative Ways to Spend Thanksgiving. 

How Grace & Frankie Define Feminist Friendship Goals.

~

Author: Crystal Jackson
Image: video still
Editor: Yoli Ramazzina
Copy Editor: Travis May
Social Editor: Waylon Lewis