By Aidan Cannon
It’s that time of the year again: Thanksgiving! For many, Thanksgiving is a time to gather as much of your family as possible, sit around the table, and share food to celebrate how thankful they are for one another. Lots of college students are able to make this trip home during the holiday season to be with their families, but unfortunately, that isn’t the case for everyone. Whether for work, school, or personal reasons, some people aren’t able to travel, but these complications shouldn’t stop them from being able to celebrate. “Friendsgiving” has grown more popular in recent years, which, as the name would suggest, sees the family aspect of Thanksgiving replaced with friends. This can be a fun and easy alternative if travel isn’t an option. However, hosting a holiday event in a small college apartment presents its own unique challenges. Use this guide to make sure your apartment Thanksgiving goes off without a hitch.
Image from Pixabay
Clean your apartment ahead of time
Perhaps the most important part of hosting people at your place is to clean beforehand. It does not matter how big your space is, you do not want to be cleaning the morning of the event. By then it will be too late, and you will realize the true magnitude of the task you carelessly pushed off. Start by removing any excess items from flat surfaces. Tabletops, desks, and counters should be free of any clutter so that food and drinks can be placed atop them. Take care of your floors; if you have hardwood, sweep, and if you have carpet, vacuum. Few things look less appealing than dirty floors; if you don’t take care of them, it looks like you don’t have any respect for your space. Most importantly, if you have any trash lying around, throw it away. People are not coming over to hang out, they’re hoping to enjoy a nice evening, and your apartment should reflect that. This doesn’t mean your space has to be perfect; if you need to throw things into your room just so they are out of the way, go ahead! You’re just trying to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward as the host, and that your home reflects that goal.
Don’t be afraid to rearrange your furniture
When trying to host an event in an apartment, you need to face facts: you don’t have a lot of space to work with. While this may be initially discouraging, it doesn’t mean you can’t have people over, you just might have to get a little creative. Rearranging your furniture will be crucial. Identify the biggest common space in your apartment. If you already have a dining table, move it to this area so you can seat as many people as possible for Thanksgiving dinner. If you don’t have a dining table, or you fear it won’t be big enough for the amount of people coming over, grab a plastic folding table. Although they’re not the fanciest tables in the world, they can be dressed up nicely with a classy tablecloth and appropriate decorations, such as candles and pinecones. You may have to move your other furniture for different activities as well. For example, if you and your friends all want to watch football or the parade, you can take the couch and all your chairs and position them around the TV, then later move them out of the room and set up the table so you can all eat dinner. Ultimately, flexibility is key, and understanding how to arrange your space for different activities will create the best evening for everyone.
Make your Thanksgiving a potluck
A Thanksgiving feast is no walk in the park. You need to prep a lot of food, and many of those dishes take a significant amount of time to make individually. Worse still, if your roommates have left to go home or have other plans for the day, you won’t have any help to make the food. Given your lack of space and need to prepare your apartment for guests, consider turning your Thanksgiving into a potluck! If everyone brings a different part of Thanksgiving dinner, that takes some of the pressure off of you to provide the whole meal with your limited facilities, and everyone can focus on one dish they know how to make very well.
Get your neighbors involved
If you have a good relationship with your neighbors, don’t be afraid to get them involved! Inviting them to your Thanksgiving can make your day a lot easier; not only can you have them bring something for dinner, but you can leverage their oven to cook multiple dishes at once. Plus, they can be a great resource if you realize you need something halfway through the party. What if one of your guests brings a plus one you didn’t originally account for? You can ask to borrow some of your neighbors’ chairs to accommodate them. Similarly, you may be able to use their plates and utensils if you don’t have enough for all your guests. Neighbors are a great asset to run to if you’re in a pinch, so don’t wait to reach out and ask for help!
Thanksgiving, and the holidays in general, can be a difficult season for some college students. Traveling isn’t a luxury afforded to everyone, and not being able to spend this special time with family is often depressing. Luckily, you can still celebrate Thanksgiving with the friends around you, provided you know how to make the most out of your apartment. Hopefully, this article inspires you to gather your found family and celebrate the spirit of the season together, whether in groups big or small.
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