Throw a Friendsgiving Party This Season with Help from Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries

Not going home for the holidays? Don’t despair! Message your besties and host a Friendsgiving instead. With a short trip to one of our 15 retail locations throughout Massachusetts — you’ll create a holiday to remember for you and everyone lucky enough to join the party!

To launch our Friendsgiving, we turned to fashion major Rebecca for inspiration. She eagerly took on the challenge of discovering simple, fun ways to dress up this event on a budget of less than $50. The resulting decorative sunflower motif and adventuresome-themed party ideas are charming and a lot of fun too. We hope you find these ideas as entertaining as we do! All items were found at our Commonwealth Avenue location.

1. Locate entertainment

Turn the day into a themed party by snagging a retro game or two. Rebecca’s choices of an interactive DVD game show and Murder Mystery Party remove the stress of a food-centered celebration. Of course, this requires a little planning. If you go retro, you’ll need a DVD player so invite a friend who hoards out-of-date technology.

Or, for the Murder Mystery game, prepare the characters’ parts and instruct friends on their upcoming roles for this “Who Done It,” evening. If your guests are anything like Rebecca, the costumes should be spectacular. Murder mystery parties, it’s a thing. Who knew?

2. Secure missing kitchen gadgets

Our advice? Keep the event simple. Keep it real. Rebecca achieved this perfectly with a small marble cheese board and a “12 Little Pigs in Blankets,” mold.

By the way, if you are lucky enough to find such an adorably strange device as a pig-themed appetizer mold, well, we say that’s the fun of shopping at Goodwill. You just never know what you’ll bring home!

In the meantime while you’re at the store, search out simple tools to prepare easy meals – cheese graters, spatulas’, measuring cups and spoons, and even full sets of pots and pans can be found at any Goodwill. location in town for much less than what you’d spend buying new.

3. Discover perfect serving dishes

Plates, cups, bowls, it’s all there by the dozens at our Goodwill retail stores. As individuals generously donate gently-used dishware, we all enjoy the beauty of heirlooms shared among friends.

Rebecca’s selection of serving plates reflects this bountiful generosity. The leaf-embossed glass platter, a colorful rectangular holiday tray and the Lazy Susan wooden turntable finished with a golden sunflower applique complement any place setting. Indeed, consider gifting these items to your guests instead of storing them. It’s a plus-up and pay-ahead without the unnecessary extra packaging, cost, or environmental impact.

4. Imagine Friendsgiving decorations

We love the mosh-up of holidays in Rebecca’s choice of centerpieces. The sunflower motif and Thanksgiving/Christmas doodads create a memorable friendly scene. The landscape is filled with a happy gnome, a treat-filled cookie jar, and a wooden frame. In a twist, we suggest adding a centerpiece photo of you and your friends — celebrating together.

5. Dress the part this Friendsgiving

What’s a visit to Goodwill without a retail side trip? Rebecca’s finds included a black lace skirt and a warm gray poncho-sweater to pair with her own platform boots. Comfortable for an indoor event yet stylish enough for even a murder mystery heiress!

6. Give back to your community

At Goodwill we create our own Friendsgiving every year by providing “Thanksgiving-in-a-Basket” to 200 families in our programs and around the community. These complete holiday dinners ensure those in need enjoy the tradition of Thanksgiving.

Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries

Our mission to help individuals with barriers to self-sufficiency to achieve independence and dignity through work. Not charity, but a chance. Goodwill’s mission services focus on helping people secure employment, which is critical for economic self-sufficiency.