A Feast Without the Fuss: Why Friendsgiving Might Be the Most Neighborly Holiday of All

Thanksgiving may get the headlines, but the night before might just hold the real secret to belonging. According to author Amy Lively, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is one of America’s top five days for pizza deliveries. Families are traveling, kitchens are busy, and people everywhere are taking the night off from cooking.

So why not turn that moment into something meaningful? This year, instead of quietly grabbing your pizza and retreating inside, call it what it could be: Friendsgiving. Invite a neighbor to join you. Share a meal—simple or elaborate—and turn an ordinary evening into something extraordinary.

Friendsgiving doesn’t need to mimic the traditional Thanksgiving spread. It can be as casual as a stack of paper plates or as formal as your grandmother’s china. Millennials popularized it because it’s low-key, low-pressure, and refreshingly free of the travel logistics and family tensions that often accompany the holiday season. But at its core, Friendsgiving is for everyone—every age, every background, every neighborhood.

And here’s the deeper truth: there is something profoundly human—and yes, Biblical—about sharing food around a table. Scripture is filled with meals that changed lives, built relationships, healed divides, and restored community. Even our own forefathers in Missouri, long before any Pilgrims landed on any shore, strengthened their frontier communities with shared meals, barn-raisings, and neighborly gatherings.

A Friendsgiving meal doesn’t have to be perfect. You can serve pizza, soup, leftovers, or a full feast. What matters is the invitation. What matters is that someone feels seen, welcomed, and wanted at your table.

Imagine if neighbors across Missouri opened their doors the night before Thanksgiving—what could that spark? Maybe a new friendship. Maybe a sense of belonging for someone who’s been feeling alone. Maybe the beginnings of stronger, more connected neighborhoods.

So this year, don’t just order pizza. Invite someone to join you. Celebrate Friendsgiving. And rediscover the simple magic of a shared meal—one that doesn’t require a holiday, only a little courage and a willing heart.

Written by David L. Burton

MORE INFORMATION

Take the Engaged Neighbor pledge and become part of a movement! The pledge outlines five categories and 20 principles to guide you toward becoming an engaged neighbor. Sign the pledge at https://nomoregoodneighbors.com. Individuals who take the pledge do get special invitations to future events online and in person. Contact the blog author, David L. Burton via email at dburton541@yahoo.com or burtond@missouri.edu. You can also visit his website at https://engagedneighbor.com.