7 notable Thanksgiving traditions: Pardoning a turkey, church services and ‘Friendsgiving’

6. Friendsgiving

While Thanksgiving is generally a time when family come together for a big celebration, some people prefer to observe the holiday by gathering with friends instead.

Known as “Friendsgiving,” the variation of the holiday has garnered increased attention in recent times, with Merriam-Webster noting that the first uses of the term in print come from 2007.

“Friendsgiving started showing up in edited prose fairly quickly after its appearance on the web: lifestyle pieces on Friendsgiving started showing up in 2008 and 2009,” noted the dictionary’s website.

“But it really started coming into national prominence in 2011 when Bailey's Irish Cream used the word in an ad campaign and it became a plot point in 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' … that began a steady uptick in use of Friendsgiving.”

Merriam-Webster went on to explain that “what began as an alternative to Thanksgiving has now become a second Thanksgiving, with all the commercial tie-ins of the original holiday.”