Friendsgiving at Alli’s House

Every year for the last 8-10 years, Tejal and I have gone to our friend Allison’s house for a pre-thanksgiving meal with people we don’t really know.

It’s not that we don’t know these people, it’s just that we only see them once a year. It’s always a little awkward sometimes, but Allison makes all the food from scratch, so it’s totally worth it.

Usually there are two couples from our immediate group of friends there. But this year, one couple was sick and I’m not sure what happen to the other couple. Either way, it forced us to talk to people we don’t know very well, which can be uncomfortable and thrilling at the same time.

I met people tonight who worked in the intelligence world in D.C. and was driving back east tomorrow on Thanksgiving day. There was a, “self- proclaimed slut who wouldn’t even sleep with myself.”

And one guy who told us, “You know what kind of tree drives me fucking wild? An elm. Just standing there shedding bark all over the place.” (To be fair, he was talking to an arborist.)

Several glasses of wine makes everything more interesting. And there are always a dozen or so bottles on fully stocked liquor table.

Tonight I heard someone say, “This is what Thanksgiving is all about, traditions, breaking bread with people you hardly know, and getting a little drunk before you have to drive home.
Not that I encourage drunk driving.”

Thank you Allison for the annual Friendsgiving meal and hopefully we will see you again next year.

If you want to see some basic rules about hosting a Friendsgiving of your own, click here. http://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/17-rules-of-friendsgiving?s=mobile
Although for the record, Alli makes ALL of the food (Ham, Turkey, 2 or 3 kinds of potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans with bacon and at least 5 different kinds of homemade pies.)

But hey, not everyone can be Allison. Go ahead and try anyway. Your friends will thank you for it.

(Picture above is of my daughter. Alli’s standing in the background.)

Tags: Thanksgiving