A guide to hosting Thanksgiving

If you are one of the many Americans in St Andrews, there is hardly a time to feel more homesick than on Thanksgiving. Instead of clicking through Instagram stories of all your friends being home, it’s best that you prepare a Friendsgiving that will take your mind off it.

There are many steps towards making your Friendsgiving go according to plan. First of all, make sure to order your turkey in advance, preferably a couple of weeks beforehand. I ordered my turkey from Minick on Bell Street, where you have the option to choose from a variety of different sizes. If you want to make the best of your turkey, make sure to brine it the day before. If you’re going to do a Friendsgiving and spend all this money on food, you better not dry that turkey out! So make sure to schedule your pickup a day before Thanksgiving.

Make sure your dinner is attended by the loveliest of your lovely friends. To ensure this, make sure you make that Facebook event ahead of time. It is most likely that not all your friends celebrate Thanksgiving, so make sure they tie down that date early before anything else comes up. What’s a Thanksgiving dinner without the ones you’re thankful for? Sappy, I know, but let’s be real.

Sadly, your mom isn’t here to carry on cooking when your attention turns to the celebrity performances at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. You’re going to have to take full charge of the cooking. If you decide to host a Friendsgiving, you have become your mom. Even if your friends tell you they will help, expect that you will have to take the wheel on this one. If you are depending on others to make the job go smoothly, make sure they understand the gravity you put on this day. Besides, if you go in with that mindset, it will leave less room for arguments. Although Thanksgiving is notorious for family arguments, save it until after all the food is cooked. The last thing you want is a half made dinner after the storm of an argument.

With that being said, you can start early to avoid the stress. If you’re in my situation and cooking for 20 people – wish me luck – you can always start the day before. Things like the cornbread muffins and pumpkin pies can be made ahead of time. The last thing you want is to leave them on the backburner and end up with a cornbreadless and pieless Thanksgiving. For the actual day of cooking, keep it simple. Roast and glaze some vegetables. Buy store bought cranberry sauce and gravy. Leave the intricate stuff for the potatoes you will end up doing three different ways, because those things are essential. Just remember, St Andrews has the potential to hold some of the best Friendsgiving dinners. Follow these little tips and you’ll keep it a day to look forward to during your time at uni.