No matter what the year brings, there's always something to be thankful for come November.

Thanksgiving is a time for reflection, but even more importantly, it's an opportunity to gather with the people you love. And for your kids, it's a chance to spend some time with their closest buddies and celebrate the beauty of friendship and togetherness. So today, I'm sharing my favorite tips for hosting a kids Friendsgiving themed party!

The holidays are just around the corner, so I have all things Thanksgiving on the mind. That means turkey, pie, and side dishes galore! Since the big day requires a lot of cooking, I recommend keeping things simple (but still special) for your Friendsgiving themed party. Read on for my full party guide, complete with delicious caramel pear hand pies and the cutest egg carton turkey craft since hand turkeys were invented.

Friendsgiving themed décor

For a Friendsgiving party backdrop, I made a DIY balloon garland and added texture to it by attaching some fall leaves that I created using nothing more than scrapbook paper and my cutting machine. No cutting machine at home? You can easily make these paper leaves by hand or even buy them pre-cut from your local craft store! To complete the look, I hung a colorful felt garland and a Friendsgiving letter banner above my balloons.

Friendsgiving isn't complete without a snack table! To create a Friendsgiving tablescape, I paired blushed round paper plates with shiny gold pear plates and on-theme napkins.

For an extra pop of color, I placed a cornucopia centerpiece in the middle of the table and filled it with fresh flowers from my local farmer's market. If it's too late in the season for fresh flowers where you live, you can fill your cornucopia with mini decorative gourds, fresh uncut fruit, or some pretty faux flowers from the craft store. Now onto the party food...yummy!

Friendsgiving themed party treats

You probably have a lot of cooking planned for Thanksgiving day, so I highly recommend choosing ready-to-serve snacks for your Friendsgiving themed party. Since everybody likes pie, I decided to make easy caramel pear hand pies to round out the treat table.

Caramel pear hand pies recipe

These delightful caramel pear hand pies make wonderful party treats and can even be given as homemade gifts to friends and family during the holiday season. You can save yourself time by using store bought pie crust, but if you do have the time, it's totally worth it to make your own pie crust from scratch with Nellie's Free Range Butter. Their butter comes from grass-fed cows and has a higher butterfat content than others, so it makes for an extra flaky, melt-in-your-mouth pie dough. Even if you use store-bought dough, don't forget to add a pat of butter inside each hand pie to make it rich and delicious. And I always use an egg wash made with Nellie's Free Range Eggs to achieve that beautiful golden brown color!

Ingredients:

• 2 batches refrigerated pie crust, homemade or store-bought
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1-2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1 large Nellie's Free Range Egg
• 2 tablespoons Nellie's Free Range Unsalted Butter
• Caramel sauce, homemade or store-bought
• Sanding sugar for sprinkling on top, optional

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger.
• Add in diced pears and toss to coat. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Roll out the refrigerated pie crust and use a cookie cutter to cut out twenty-four 3" to 4" circles. Use whatever scraps you have left to cut out decorations for the tops of the hand pies, such as little leaves, pumpkins, or turkeys using small cookie cutters (or freehand with a small paring knife.)
• Place twelve of the dough rounds onto the prepared baking sheets.
• Place 1 teaspoon of caramel sauce then 1 tablespoon of pear mixture in the center of each dough round.
• Cut the butter into twelve tiny pieces and place a piece on top of each pear mixture.
• In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and brush a thin coating just around the edges of one of the dough rounds with filling. Top with another dough round, and press the edges together around the full circumference to seal the pie well. Crimp the edges with a fork, then repeat for the other eleven hand pies.
• Use a sharp knife to cut a tiny "X" in the top of the dough to allow for the steam to escape.
• Brush the remaining egg wash over the tops of the hand pies and use it to attach any decorative pieces to the tops.
• If using, sprinkle sanding sugar on top of each hand pie.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

In addition to thsee yummy hand pies, I served fall-inspired chex mix snack cups. Look at those bites that resemble cornucopias! Aren't they just perfect?

Friendsgiving themed party activities

Crafts and hands-on activities are sure to keep the kids happy and engaged during this Friendsgiving party. An empty Nellie's Free Range Egg carton and a few craft supplies can go a long way!

DIY upcycled egg carton turkeys

You probably remember making hand turkeys as a kid, but have you ever made egg carton turkeys? They're so easy to assemble and make for some adorable cupcake toppers or additions to your tablescape. My kids had a wonderful time glueing googly eyes and feathers to their egg carton cups to make their turkeys come alive.

Supplies:

• Nellie's Free Range Egg cartons
• Acrylic paint
• Paint brushes
• Mini cups, bowls, or mugs
• Pipe cleaners
• Tiny orange triangles cut from orange scrapbook paper or felt (for the beak)
• Googly eyes
• Scissors
• Glue
• Craft feathers
• Toothpicks, optional (if using as cupcake toppers)

Directions:

• Cut out individual egg carton cups. Paint them in the colors of your choice. Let dry completely.
• Cut pipe cleaners to make the tiny turkey legs. Glue legs on the inside part of the egg carton cup.
• Attach googly eyes and a beak to the front of the cup, and feathers to the back of the cup using glue.
• If using as a cupcake topper, glue a small toothpick to the inside of the cup as well.

I hope you enjoyed these easy, yet fun ideas for hosting a special day for your kids and their friends! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Did you throw a Friendsgiving themed party? Tag your photos with #nelliesfreerange so we can see! Or click here to see our other themed parties in the series. And don't forget to check out Twinkle Twinkle Little Party for more inspiration.