Friendsgiving

In case you've encountered this portmanteau, and wonder about its history, Merriam-Webster has you covered And NPR's Word of the Week featured it last week — Rachel Treisman, "Friendsgiving 101: A history of the made-up holiday and how to celebrate it", 11/19/2025:

Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday of November. But many Americans don't wait that long to share a fall feast with their loved ones — that is, if they celebrate Friendsgiving.

Friendsgiving is exactly what it sounds like: A gathering close to the date of Thanksgiving, starring many of its starchy staples, usually served potluck-style, with friends instead of relatives.

Think fewer dinner-table political debates, less travel time, turkey optional (more on that later).

Merriam-Webster started tracking "Friendsgiving" in 2007, after it appeared in posts on what was then Twitter and the early message board Usenet. The word's obvious meaning and accessible pronunciation helped it catch on quickly, Brewster says.

"Friendsgiving" popped up in lifestyle blogs and news articles over the years before hitting it big in 2011. That year, it was both the focus of a Bailey's Irish Cream ad campaign and a major plot point in a Real Housewives of New Jersey episode (titled "Gobblefellas").

Wiktionary's entry dates to 2012, if I'm reading its history page correctly, and now cites the NPR/MW episode.

The OED hasn't registered it yet, despite its thousands of media citations, a fair number of uses in books, and plenty of social media hits.

Yesterday Merriam-Webster posted this on Bluesky:

On December 4, 2007, in the Usenet group “Friends of the Friendless,” someone wrote: “Happy Friendsgiving Y’all!”

And that is the first recorded use of ‘Friendsgiving’ in print.

— Merriam-Webster (@merriam-webster.com) November 25, 2025 at 2:36 PM