If you’ve never heard of Friends-giving, you're certainly missing out. It means exactly what is sounds like; it’s basically another Thanksgiving but instead of sharing the table with family you share it with friends. It’s a time in the year to gather together with your closet friends and indulge in some amazing food.

I experienced my first Friends-giving last year. It was the first year of college I living in a house that had a full functioning kitchen and 8 girls who become more like sisters to me. So it was inevitable we’d have some kind of big celebration. We decided we were going to have Friends-giving and it was the best decision we ever made.

Everyone signed up to bring something to the dinner. My friend and I were the ambitious ones willing to take on the turkey. No, I’m not a chef. I had no clue what I was doing. I called my mom and asked her how to make a turkey, my friend did the same and eventually we combined our family traditions to attempt to cook a 12 pound turkey. It barely fit in the oven, but it fit. And then we had to wait all day, basting it with broth every hour until it was golden brown. That was a lot of pressure on us because if the turkey was burnt, well, there’d be no Friends-giving. Thankfully the turkey turned out perfect, she was golden brown and juicy. Everyone was impressed, but mostly I was impressed with myself. I had no idea I was capable of making a turkey.

Our little townhouse kitchen was bustling the night of actual Friends-giving. Since everyone made something different, we integrated everyones family traditions to have food on our table. We were responsible for making a whole new tradition with the family we had chosen. We had a turkey, potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans and carrots, rolls, desert, and great company. We even moved our table into the living room so everyone had a seat.

The evening wouldn’t be complete without pictures either. We dressed in our finest attire and documented the night with pictures that we’ll keep forever.

All this being said, there’s many reasons why if you haven’t experienced Friends-giving yet, you should. First, you get to hand-pick your company. Don’t worry, there won’t be any Uncle John who’s twice removed that you’ve never met at your dinner, the guest list will be purely up to you. Invite as many or as little people as you want, and you’ll know whoever is there is as important as family.

You’ll also challenge yourself. Maybe you’ll be as ambitious as me and volunteer to cook the turkey, but even if you want to bring something less complex to cook, you’ll be proud that you made something to contribute to the meal.

And finally you’ll make memories that’ll last a lifetime. I know I’ll never forget the year I had Friends-giving. The pictures, the food, the company, I’ll remember it all. Take it from someone who’s experienced it; Friends-giving is worth it. And it’s worth it for the food, if nothing else. The food was almost as good as actual Thanksgiving dinner, if not better.