An Inova psychiatrist says that the “friendsgiving” tradition could be a good way to de-stress and center yourself.
Family Thanksgiving gatherings can be stressful. A local psychiatrist says that a “friendsgiving” could help give you a break this holiday season.
“It makes sense that friendsgiving, to me, would be beneficial,” said Sam Schiavone, division chief of inpatient adult psychiatry at Inova in Falls Church, Virginia. “It’s more colloquial.”
He said that the tradition could be a good way to de-stress and center yourself.
“It’s (friends) that you’ve made and sought and get along with and now you’re spending time together, good quality time, and giving thanks to each other. Just celebrating the friendship that you made, rather than celebrating the holiday,” he said.
Schiavone said just being grateful is a good thing for your mental health.
“Being with people that you love and they love you is going to make you feel more connected, more grounded,” he said. “Just by virtue of social connection, that has been shown to improve well being.”
Being grateful actually impacts your mood, which could help when we might be stressed about going to a traditional Thanksgiving with family you haven’t seen in awhile.
“Giving thanks does a trick in our brain where it feels like we’re also getting thanks. So we tend to feel happy and good when we’re praising others,” he said. “A lot of healthy chemicals, neurotransmitters get expressed when we receive things, but even when we give thanks.”
And when it comes to traditional Thanksgivings with family, he said tell them you’re grateful for them, and some physical touch can go a long way too.
“Just hugging family members, hugging friends can release good happy chemicals in the brain, like oxytocin,” he said.
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Eater and Resy co-founder Ben Leventhal debuts a new loyalty and payment platform that, for its Los Angeles arrival, includes Felix, Ggiata, Gjelina, Rustic Canyon Group and more.
Opening Nov. 8, pastry chef Chris Ford treats Angelenos to his pastry and chocolate creations with an outpost at La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood. The seasonally changing menu will debut with delights like soft serve in a chocolate waffle cone, croissants and a chocolate vending machine.
Cesare Ristorante becomes a casual lunch cafe Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a menu dedicated to its signature light pinsa dough. Highlights include Jidori chicken meatballs in marinara, a variety of pinsa slices, paninis and tiramisu.
As Swarovski rolls into town with the Masters of Light: Hollywood exhibition, the Austrian brand teams up with Erewhon on a vibrant collaboration. Try to snag one of just 2,400 Lemon 130 bottles (made with Swarovski shimmer) and the first-ever Erewhon bag featuring crystal adornment (only 300 available).
This 11th-floor Mediterranean-inspired restaurant is now open at The Hoxton Downtown. Paired with skyline views, diners can enjoy mezze, flatbreads, grill-fired plates and reimagined classic cocktails, like the old fashioned-inspired Pelopennesian Fashion made with Metaxa 5 Star brandy, house-made fig syrup and chocolate and orange bitters.
Executive chef Mazen Mustafa embraces fall with new dishes, including miso black cod with pumpkin and brown butter, blue crab croquettes, wild mushroom risotto and chocolate creme brulee with dulce de leche whip.
Executive chef Raphael Lunetta and chef Robert Martinez’s seasonal menu showcases Cinderella Pumpkin Soup with sage and pecans; a fall harvest salad with roasted Brussels sprouts, pears and maple cider vinaigrette; bone-in pork chop with butternut squash puree and pan-roasted Ora King salmon with gochujang buttermilk and marinated beets.
Bucket Listers’ immersive holiday pop-up finally makes its Los Angeles debut beginning Nov. 13. The experience embraces the spirit of the season and Queen of Christmas with Mariah Carey-inspired decor, interactive photo ops, a “Letters to Mariah” station, an award wall, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” played every 30 minutes and themed food and beverages, including cocktails made with Carey’s Black Irish cream.
On Nov. 4, Salvatore Ferragamo hosts a four-course, wine-paired dinner at Marea Beverly Hills. Coastal Italian dishes are paired with vintage wines, including a Pinino Brunello di Montalcino.
Chef and co-owner Ignacio Barrios brings lomo saltado, a classic Peruvian stir-fry dish, to Culver City as a build-your-own meal. Catch the restaurant on Nov. 6 at the Locally Grown charity fundraiser hosted by chef Neal Fraser at Redbird.
Following its recent relocation to Echo Park, Morihiro expands its beverage menu with a full bar program helmed by bar director Han Suk Cho. Cocktails include the Mori’s Martini made with St. George Botanivore Gin, bermutto, yellow chartreuse and cherry blossom.
The Italian establishment offers new dishes and drinks (and welcomes some old favorites) just as October comes to an end. Highlights include lasagna with braised short rib and Italian sausage; prime New York steak tagliata, house-made focaccia and a salted carmel budino.
On Nov. 14 and 15, chef Jeff Strauss (who was a supervising producer for season one of Friends) serves up a family-style dinner inspired by the first season of the NBC sitcom. Reservations are on Resy.
For the series’ final dinner on Nov. 13, chef-owner Michael Cimarusti, chef David Kinch of Manresa and Mentone in Los Gatos and chef Gerald Passedat of Le Petit Nice in Marseilles, France present a Californian-French tasting menu.
On Nov. 12, Pizzana Marina Del Rey gathers chefs Daniele Uditi, Chris Decker and Michael Vakneen for a nine-course dinner, inclusive of five pizzas, wagyu carpaccio, spumoni tiramisu and biscotti. Seatings are at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Fig at Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows joins forces with Il Boro Toscana on Nov. 3. The wine dinner begins with an aperitivo reception, which is followed by a four-course, Cal-Italian meal and wine pairing. Menu highlights include olive oil-poached King crab and a First Light wagyu filet.
Heaven & Earth Oasis puts on its annual fundraising luncheon to benefit its mission to aid veterans through professional alternative therapies like Reiki and acupuncture. Alongside lunch, the afternoon features a performance by One World Ascension, raffles and a silent auction veteran honorees.
One of the great roles of Thanksgiving is the guest! If you don’t cook or have time to create an insta-worthy creation to be share and documented for future generations, being a non-culinary guest is a treat. But you want to do it right and bring something which pleases the host and can be used appropriate. Don’t cook, 5 things to bring for Thanksgiving which will should be a hit!
Leftover containers are lifesavers on Thanksgiving parties, giving everyone the chance to take some food home after you’re all done hanging out. Disposable leftover containers can be purchased everywhere and in large amounts and might not be the prettiest, but are definitely the most useful contribution you can provide.
Flowers
Flowers are always a great present for hosts, especially on Thanksgiving. This holiday encourages togetherness and positivity and flowers are the best embodiment of this message, never taking up much space and being malleable enough so hosts have some freedom with what they do with them.
Wine
Wine is the official Thanksgiving alcoholic drink, making this the safest item on this list. Unless no one drinks – you can have a field day with this choice. Champagne is a great choice for pre-meal and post meal or a fun after dinner beverage like port or limoncello. Also digestifs are alcoholic beverages served after a meal to help settle the stomach and commence the digestion process. These beverages tend to be stronger in alcohol than apéritifs and are usually consumed neat
Thanksgiving dessert is a classic, much easier to transport than savory foods and providing an option to guests who want to have something sweet after all the food they had. There are dozens of Thanksgiving desserts that can be made from scratch or bought from a bakery.
Candles
You might think candles are boring and they might be, at least a little bit, but there’s tons of options for the fall season that smell amazing and make homes feel cozy. Candles are a great present for homeowners, something that’ll last for a while and that they’ll love to have around their place.
It’s a week before Thanksgiving, which means we have been thrust into the holiday season whether we were ready or not. While you’re gearing up to see your family and friends for your obligatory annual catch-up conversations, we need new music now more than ever. Because there are travels to be completed, and soothing is needed.
And as I previously mentioned, it’s holiday season- which means many artists will be releasing holiday tracks to get you in the spirit. Compiling songs from Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist, the countless press releases flooding my email, and doing my own investigations, we have yet another week’s worth of new music ready!
That’s right, I’ve got a fresh playlist of songs you didn’t know you needed in your life. Whether you have Friendsgivings to attend, clubs to dance in, or are just staying in on this lovely November Friday, there’s always a good time to find new tunes.
We’ve got no time to spare, so let’s get listening!
Lauren Spencer Smith- “Santa Baby”
Lauren Spencer Smith is one of the most exciting rising stars in pop music right now. She can spin any track into gold, whether it be a ballad, or a rock-inspired pop dance tune. Now, she’s here with a taste of the holidays for us with a rendition of “Santa Baby”- her clear, concise vocals are flawless, haunting, and flirty.
She’s fully in holiday season…releasing a cover of “Hallelujah” earlier this month and releasing “Broke Christmas” alongside her “Santa Baby” cover. It begs the question: is there anything she can’t do?
Sabrina Carpenter- fruitcake
Another woman in the music industry having a massive year is Sabrina Carpenter, who went viral on TikTok for her “Nonsense” outros on tour, both her own and opening for Taylor Swift. Coming off her fifth studio album with emails i can’t send in 2022, Carpenter is establishing herself as the “next big popstar.”
She’s here with her holiday EP, fruitcake, with six festive songs that are uniquely Carpenter. You can get tired of the same old holiday cheer songs over and over, but Sabrina Carpenter’s fruitcake proves there’s still ground to be broken in the holiday song category.
Jimmy Fallon, Meghan Trainor- “Wrap Me Up”
Jimmy Fallon and Meghan Trainor team up for a light-hearted track during the gifting season. Begging for you to “wrap me up” because she’s the “whole damn package”, you get the classic Meghan Trainor sound and vibe. Plus, any track adding Jimmy Fallon is guaranteed to be instantaneously exciting.
What I love about Meghan Trainor’s music is that it truly is all about having fun and feeling your best. It’s an infectious, often viral method that gets everyone dancing whether they wanted to or not. “Wrap Me Up” is no exception , which is no surprise.
Chloe Stroll, “Homesick”
Chloe Stroll is one of Popdust’s favorites for a good reason: she has an honest approach to making quality music that is both relatable and easy to listen to. Her new single, “Homesick”, is proof that she is willing to work hard to create these borderline perfect tracks and shows her growth as a new artist in the industry. She sings about yearning for someone’s love, being homesick for them.
It’s a pop sound with synths and, of course, a hint of piano. It exhibits her vocal range and you can hear the emotion through each chorus as she launches in. If you need an introduction to Chloe Stroll, this is the song for you.
Elle Darlington- “christmas is you”
Elle Darlington has a soulful, ethereal tone that is reminiscent of pop divas we know and love. You wonder if there is a note she can’t hit as she effortlessly glides through “christmas is you”. She delivers a dreamy bedroom pop Christmas song that makes you want to go out in the snow and romanticize your holiday season. Darlington says,
“Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. This songreflects the thing I love most about Christmas – being with my family and friends. So many of my idols including Mariah & Ariana have been the soundtrack to my favorite festive memories; so it’s super exciting that ‘christmas is you’ could play a part in making those memories for other people.”
DRAMA- “As I Am”
“As I Am” is the latest single off of DRAMA’s Til We Die EP that offers high energy and otherworldly sound, sending you straight to the club dance floor. Til We Die is one of DRAMA’s best bodies of work to date, and “As I Am” perfectly encapsulates all the album has to offer. It’s like stepping into a haze in the best way possible, listening feels like the ultimate escape.
DRAMA delivers electronic R&B that includes thought-provoking lyrics and refreshing beats…melding into catchy club tracks that make you want to go out all night long. “As I Am” is a peek into a tortured love affair, masked by a celestial, entrancing sound.
Everyone will find something to love in these bars. On the bottom you’ve got a buttery gingersnap crust, topped with a layer of rich and creamy pumpkin cheesecake. Next, you’ve got a tart, tangy layer of apples and cranberries, and the whole thing is finished off with a cinnamon-pecan crumble.
It’s the time of year where people gather together and enjoy each other’s company, good food and hopefully something delicious to wash it all down. While wine is the general go to for dinner parties, beer, vodka, and bubbles are also in the mix. But what about great whiskeys for a Friendsgiving. Some pair well with the flavors of meats and vegetables and adds an earthiness to the palate.
Here are time-tested, proven suggestions for crowd-pleasing whiskeys to plunk down on the table after the plates are cleared and before the babysitters need to be relieved.
Oban 14-Year-Old
Oban 14-Year-Old is quickly climbing the ranks of my favorite all-purpose single malts. It’s the best of both worlds. It has high-toned peat and opulent, vanilla-soaked oak. It’s rich yet nuanced, sweet yet smoky, and interesting without being in the least bit challenging. It also pairs beautifully with chocolate.
George Dickel Barrel Select
This small batch release from George Dickel is aged between 10 and 12 years, right in the sweet spot for American whiskey. Balanced, mellow, and with signature George Dickel minerality, this is a lovely bottle to share with friends who might not know just how delicious Dickel can be.
Hibiki Whiskey
Noted Chef Justin Khanna encourages to people to mix it up with this Japanese whiskey. The House of Suntory a this delicate balance of several malt and grain whiskies is meticulously crafted goodness which pairs without overwhelmed savory flavors.
Basil Hayden’s
Everybody loves bourbon, but not everybody loves the 120+ proof cask strength stuff that’s so popular these days. Basil Hayden’s is a gentler whiskey from Jim Beam and still manages to hang on to all those fruity, spicy characteristics which make American whiskey so enjoyable. Plus, it comes wearing a fun little paper vest.
Redbreast 12-Year-Old
Most cringe from the word “smooth” used to describe whiskey—what does such a thing mean? Has anybody ever tasted a gritty whiskey?—but once in a while, the adjective does come to mind. Redbreast 12-Year-Old is silky, sweet, supple, and downright seductive, a seamless homage to the mellow flavors of malted barley and integrated oak. Don’t call it “smooth,” but your guests almost certainly will.
Have a great holiday season and venture out with some great whiskeys for Friendsgiving.
It has been all the rage since the early 2000s and a chance to spend tend to the choose close people over family. Friendsgiving is a blend of friends and Thanksgiving, and it refers the large meal eaten with friends either on or near Thanksgiving. It is a thing and people are serious how-tos, sample menus, new traditions, and games. So how to add weed to your Friendsgiving celebration?
Unlike the family events that require you to “forget something in your car” with your favorite cousin, at Friendsgiving (in states where cannabis is recreationally legal), you can celebrate freely with your friends. Here are some tips.
Infuse Your Feast
Introducing weed to your meal is easy, since so much of the flavor (and THC) is fat-soluble, the butter-heavy meal is a great way to infuse cannabis if you want a group experience.
While infused butter is an easy go-to for guests to make any dish 420 friendly, you might want to consider exempting main courses due to people overindulging. You can do a smaller version so people can do a taste test.
Photo by Jessie Moore
The easiest option is the dessert course. There are tips to avoid the weed taste and using cannabutter as a small spread could work OR you can make a small apple, pumpkin or chocolate pie with a bit of cannabis oil as an added treat.
And if you don’t want to put cannabis in the meal or are concerned of overdosage, you can have and share some marijuana gummies. They are the most popular used weed and you can manage it throughout the day.
Photo by Hans via Pixabay
Cooking Tips to Keep You Sane
Chef Justin Khanna has worked in some of the top restaurants in the world and now advises food-tech startups, hosts pop-up dinners and publishes educational content. Here he offers some basic tips for your feast:
Don’t get overwhelmed. Making a prep list is the easiest way to avoid feeling scattered. Think about it: this is probably one of the biggest meals of your year, you should treat it differently than a standard dinner party with friends! Making a quick checklist of the dishes you’re preparing can help make sure components don’t go missing and also give you a great sense of how to answer when your guests come over and ask, “what can I help with?”
Don’t go it alone. Speaking of asking for help, this ends up being a huge win of having your friends be your guests. It’s not about grandma making the entire meal (that was my Thanksgiving tradition), so spread the load. Ask folks what they’re comfortable making or bringing, and use that opportunity to build out the meal. It’s way easier to know that someone else has the turkey covered, and you can use your oven for other projects throughout the day.
Don’t forget snacks. Let’s face it, your guests are going to arrive hungry. This doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, but offering some nibbles on arrival can be a phenomenal way to give yourself “buffer time” on serving the big meal. Considering folks probably want to catch up (or get to know one another on a first meet), offer up a charcuterie or butter board, crudités and dips, or even a baked cheese appetizer as a way to let everyone settle in without getting hangry.
However you do it, have a great time with your friends and remember it is all about being together with those you chose this Thanksgiving.
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Slaws and Salads
Bring something totally fresh to the side dish lineup and you will be the hero of Friendsgiving. Trust me — everyone always appreciates something on the healthy-ish side to balance all the stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pie.
This feast is not complete without stuffing. But save the traditional recipes for dinner with your family. Your Friendsgiving lineup deserves a stuffing with a twist. Whether you grill the bread, start with everything bagels, or go with a Syrian-inspired recipe, you can’t go wrong.
Why leave bagels just for breakfast? Here they replace the usual suspects like sourdough or challah for a unique Thanksgiving stuffing that’s sure to be the talk of the table.
The combination of sweet golden raisins and meaty beef and veal is a flavor combo that works really well together, especially with the added saltiness of grated Parmesan cheese and buttery pine nuts.
When it comes to potatoes, a basic creamy mash is just the beginning. From cheesy puffs to luscious sweet potatoes, there is something here for everyone.
Au gratin potatoes are one of the greatest casseroles of all time. Tender, fluffy potatoes are bathed in a rich and creamy cheese sauce, then baked in a hot oven until bubbly and crisp.
Puréed carrots, eggs, milk, and cheddar cheese get blended into a soufflé base that puffs beautifully into a light, airy, almost custard-like side dish.
When it comes to serving a crowd, casseroles are always a good idea. These totally comforting sides are easy to pull together, and often make a great addition for any vegetarian or gluten-free friends.
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Contrary to some opinions, it’s never too early to enhance your holiday wardrobe. Whether you need a shimmery new dress to complement your favorite stilettos or a cozy yet stylish sweater dress, few retailers rival Old Navy in providing a wide range of versatile holiday clothing. And there’s no better time to start scooping up styles that catch your eye. The brand’s new arrivals section is freshly stocked with options you’ll be relieved you scooped up before they sold out, including sequined and velvet styles for those who love some tangible texture, sophisticated coats worth wearing to every holiday event, chic trousers suitable for both work and play — and so much more.
We’d be lying if we said we didn’t have any standout favorites from Old Navy’s holiday inventory. Among them is a burgundy-colored velvet jumpsuit with a flattering silhouette comprising a fitted bodice and a wide leg, a two-piece set with metallic threads perfect for New Year’s Eve, and a chic cardigan coat that adds a hearty dose of sophistication to any outfit (while keeping you warm, of course). Keep scrolling to shop these styles and more of our favorite holiday picks from Old Navy for 2023.
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