Nov 21, 2018

5 Tips To Surviving Your Ultra-Glam Friendsgiving

Thanksgiving has arrived, which for millions of Americans means spending time with family.

Now, when I say family, I don’t just mean biological parents, siblings, and so on, because sometimes that isn’t always an option. Whether it be because of timing, distance, or perhaps something much worse, not all gay people can enjoy the holidays with what many refer to as “family,” though that doesn’t mean they’re not with the best people in their lives.

As mother RuPaul says, we get to choose our family, and we can choose to rock a Friendsgiving right, as long as you follow my five tips to ensuring you not only knock it out of the park, but actually just survive.

1.) Go For Slightly Healthier Options

We all know that as the holiday season approaches, we’re going to have to cheat on our diets...but that doesn’t mean we need to completely abandon the idea of being healthy. Some people (myself included) have started dreading the colder months of the year, as they mean piling up plates full of carbs and sweets, and while that’s plenty of fun to do now and then, too much at one time can leave someone feeling overwhelmed and, to be honest, gross.

The best Thanksgiving meals are the ones that balance everything, allowing people who want to gorge and throw caution into the wind to do so, while also not alienating everyone else. Make sure you have stuffing and gravy, but don’t give up on vegetable staples and salad. Desserts can be cakes and pies as well as fruit and wine (we can all agree on that last part)! Just remember that if you’re trying to slim down at all, summer bodies are made in the winter.

2.) Skip The Football

Watching football on Thanksgiving has become something of an American tradition, but perhaps it won’t be popular among the guests at your fabulous Friendsgiving. So, if you and your friends aren’t going to watch some burly boys throw around the pigskin, what will be playing in the background?

There are literally countless options, so unless you’re a group of men clinging to the idea of remaining “masc,” I say you get creative and mix things up for your group of handsome homosexuals. Drag Race might be something everyone can agree on at first, but once your guests begin drinking, a few fights may break out...although, what’s more Thanksgiving-y than that?

You could also kick off winter with movies that herald the beginning of the holidays, like The Holiday, The Family Stone, the silly-but-underrated Make The Yuletide Gay, or one of many, many terrible Xmas films that air on the likes of the Hallmark Channel or Lifetime, which have now all found a new home on Netflix.

3.) Plan With Everyone

If you’re going to be the hoes-tess (no, that’s not a typo) with the mostess, go ahead and make everything in your own kitchen, but if you’re like most people, you’re going to ask the friends planning on attending to chip in and bring something. This is, in theory, a good idea, but if you don’t plan accordingly, things can go wrong quickly.

Before you go telling everyone on your invite list to bring whatever they want, do your best to coordinate and plan ahead! If you fail to do so, you’ll end up with 12 bottles of wine, one container of green beans, three pies and nothing else. If that sounds fine to you, go ahead, but you may want to balance things out a little more by asking certain friends to pick up other items, or by sharing a spreadsheet or list where everyone can claim what they need!

Live your Type A scheduler life this Thanksgiving!

4.) Don’t Underestimate How Tough It Is To Cook A Turkey

This seems to happen to people we all know every year, and at this point it is something most of us will do at some point...but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least attempt to avoid it!

Do as much research as you can when it comes to what you need and how long it takes to make the perfect turkey. Then, check your grocery list many times over. Then, pad some more time to ensure you get this right. If you don’t, you’ll end up on Thanksgiving day (or whenever you host your feast with your gays) with some very bad meat...and that is certainly something no gay wants to put in their mouth.

5.) Dress The Part

Is there anything on Thanksgiving that could be even more important than the food? YES, OF COURSE THERE IS. As is the case with any party full of gay men, you’ll want to show up and turn the most heads, because...because duh! Holidays are meant for dressing up and pulling out your finest, and even if everyone else at the event is content to stick to the same old, same old, you should aspire to more.

You can go all the way and show up in full drag, accessories and all...or maybe just a festive sweater. However you decide to do this Friendsgiving, do it the best you can.

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