Happy Thanksgiving! We just hosted our 4th annual Friendsgiving dinner at our house and every year, it is a blast! I always roast a big turkey in the oven, John fries a turkey in the backyard, and each couple contributes their favorite side dish to share. Needless to say, no one goes home hungry!
When we first moved to Greenville several years ago, we made several really great friends pretty quickly. John’s company (at the time) had just hired a bunch of new college grads like us and we seemed to all be in the same boat - transplants from other towns and states and fresh out of school. We originally started hosting this dinner party because we wanted an excuse to cook a big meal with our friends before we all went our separate ways for Thanksgiving.
Every year, I’m reminded just how much I love our friends and how fun it is entertaining them at our home. My favorite part of the evening is that we all get to sit around one long table (well, actually 3 tables) - I rent a couple 6-ft long tables and a bunch of folding chairs. As the years go on, our numbers have grown. I think last year we seated 32 people around the table!
This year was just as much fun! We pared down and used paper plates, plastic forks, cotton drop cloths on the tables and I foraged greenery from the yard for the centerpieces. This time of year, magnolia clippings and cedar branches make for a beautiful arrangements in vases, empty liquor bottles, or simply laying them down the middle of the table. One of our friends brought a bag of clementines that I scattered down the table, too!
Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving with your families this week and be safe traveling!