Thanksgiving Wishes for Friends: 73 Messages for Best Friends, Old Friends and Friendsgiving

Friendsgiving is the Thanksgiving meal you share with friends instead of (or as well as) family. The word itself is new: according to NPR, Merriam-Webster traces its first known use to 2007 and added it to the dictionary in 2020. The habit behind it is much older: the people you chose get a thank-you too. Here are five lines you can send to a friend right now:

• Happy Thanksgiving to the friend who knows all my stories and still lets me tell them. Grateful for you.
• Of all the things on my thankful list this year, you're near the top. Right under pie. Okay, above pie.
• Thinking of you today and counting you among my blessings. Happy Thanksgiving, friend.
• Thank you for every call, every favor and every time you showed up without being asked. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
• No matter whose table we're at this year, I'm saving you a seat at mine. Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2026 is on Thursday, November 26. The rest of this page is sorted by the kind of friend you're writing to, because a best friend, a college roommate you haven't called since spring and a coworker you'd call a friend all need different words. All 73 messages are written by our editors. Further down: what to say if you're hosting or going to a Friendsgiving, a few friendship quotes we traced back to the book or speech they come from, and a fill-in-the-blank way to write your own.

Your Best Friend

With a best friend you can be specific and a little sappy, because they know exactly what you mean. Mention something only the two of you would get, or simply say what they did for you this year.

• You were the first person I called with good news and bad news this year. Thank you for answering both. Happy Thanksgiving, bestie.
• I don't say it enough, so here it is in writing: I'm thankful for you every single day, not just the fourth Thursday of November.
• Happy Thanksgiving to my favorite person to sit next to at any table. Pass the stuffing and keep the commentary coming.
• Some people are thankful for family. I'm lucky enough to count you as both.
• Thank you for being the friend who remembers the little things, like how I take my coffee and which aunt to steer me away from. Love you. Happy Thanksgiving.
• We've been through moves, breakups, bad haircuts and good news together. Today I'm just grateful we're still in each other's corner.
• Happy Thanksgiving to the one person I'd share the last slice of pie with. Possibly.
• Whatever this year handed us, it was easier because you were in it. Thank you, friend.

Old Friends You Don't Talk to Enough

Thanksgiving is one of the easiest excuses to reach out to someone you've drifted from. Keep it light, skip the apology for not calling, and leave the door open for a reply.

• You crossed my mind today and I smiled, so I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving. I hope life is treating you well.
• It's been too long, but I still count you among the people I'm thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
• Happy Thanksgiving! I was just telling someone about that road trip we took and realized I never thanked you for how much fun that year was.
• No pressure to reply. I just wanted you to know I'm grateful our paths crossed, and I hope your table is full today.
• Thinking of our old Thanksgiving potlucks in that tiny apartment. Wishing you a warm holiday wherever you are now.
• Happy Thanksgiving, old friend. Let's not let another year go by before we catch up. Coffee in December?
• Years and miles later, you're still on my list of good things. Happy Thanksgiving.

"I count myself in nothing else so happy / As in a soul rememb'ring my good friends;"

— William Shakespeare, Richard II, Act 2, Scene 3, c. 1595

Bolingbroke says this to the men who have just joined him, thanking them before he has anything to repay them with. That is why it fits an old friend so well: it is thanks for loyalty, not for a favor. Write it out in a card and add one line of your own about the friendship.

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Friends Who Live Far Away

For a long-distance friend, say that you'd rather be together and give them something concrete: a call time, a plan, a photo you're about to send.

• Setting a place for you at my table in spirit. Happy Thanksgiving from my table to yours! Call me after the dishes?
• Miles apart, same gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving, my friend. Send me a picture of your plate.
• I'll be thinking of you when they bring out the pie, because nobody argues about pie like you do. Miss you. Happy Thanksgiving.
• Distance means I can't hug you today, so this text will have to carry it. Happy Thanksgiving!
• Happy Thanksgiving across the time zones. I'm grateful that the best friendships don't care about distance.
• Let's do a video call during dessert, even if it's just five minutes of us waving with our mouths full.
• Thankful for you today and counting down to the next time we're in the same room. Happy Thanksgiving.

A Friend Spending the Holiday Alone or Away from Home

Some friends are working the holiday, can't afford the flight home or simply don't have family to go to. A message that includes a real invitation, or at least a promise to check in later, means more than a general good wish.

• If your plans fall through or you just want company, there's a chair and a plate for you at my place on Thursday. No need to bring anything.
• I know you're working through Thanksgiving this year. I'm saving you a plate of leftovers, and I'm not taking no for an answer.
• Thinking of you today. Being away from home on a holiday is hard, and I'm glad you're part of my "home" here.
• Happy Thanksgiving! I'll call you this evening so you have someone to complain about the parade with.
• However you spend today, I hope it's peaceful. And if it isn't, text me. I'll answer.
• We're doing a casual dinner on Friday with the leftovers. Come if you're free. It's more fun with you there.
• You've been a friend to so many people this year. Today I hope someone takes care of you. If not, I'm on my way with pie.

A Friend Who Had a Rough Year

When a friend has had a hard year (a job loss, an illness, a breakup, a family worry) leave out "everything happens for a reason" and any forced cheer. Acknowledge it gently and say you're there. If your friend lost someone close, our page on condolence messages has words for that.

• I know this year has been heavy. I'm thankful for you, and I'm here, today and on all the ordinary days after.
• Happy Thanksgiving doesn't quite fit this year, so here's what I mean: I'm thinking of you, and I'm glad you're my friend.
• You don't have to feel grateful today. You just have to be you, and that's more than enough for me.
• Thank you for letting me be there for you this year. It mattered to me too.
• No need to reply. I just wanted you to know you're on my mind and in my corner.
• Sending you a quiet, warm Thanksgiving and a standing offer: one phone call, one walk, one meal, whenever you want it.

Friendship Quotes Worth Borrowing (Checked Against the Source)

A quote works best as the second line of a message, after something personal. These are lines we traced back to the book, essay or speech they come from. Many friendship quotes shared online are paraphrased or credited to the wrong person, so the wording below follows the source text.

"A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him I may think aloud."

— Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Friendship," Essays: First Series, 1841

Emerson's point is that a real friend is the one person you don't have to perform for. It suits a best friend or a long-time friend, and it pairs well with a thank-you for listening this year. The same essay has the line people often quote alone: "the only way to have a friend is to be one."

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"Of all the means which are procured by wisdom to ensure happiness throughout the whole of life, by far the most important is the acquisition of friends."

— Epicurus, Principal Doctrines 27, 3rd century BC (tr. Robert Drew Hicks)

The Greek philosopher Epicurus is often misread as a champion of feasting, but his idea of a good life was simple food with good company. That makes this line a fitting toast at a Friendsgiving table. Some websites print a shorter version ending "is friendship"; that wording comes from a different translation.

"Such friendship enhances prosperity, and relieves adversity of its burden by halving and sharing it."

— Cicero, On Friendship (De Amicitia), 44 BC (tr. Evelyn Shuckburgh)

Cicero wrote his dialogue on friendship near the end of his life. This line is a good fit for a friend who shared a hard year with you: the good news felt bigger, and the bad news smaller, because they were there. A popular version ("adds a brighter radiance to prosperity") is a looser paraphrase, not this translation.

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival."

— C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves, ch. "Friendship," 1960

Lewis is saying that friendship is not a duty but a gift, which is exactly why it deserves thanks. For a card, the last sentence works on its own: "It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival."

If you want more lines about gratitude in general, see our quotes about being thankful, each traced to its source.

Friendsgiving: Invitations, Host Thank-Yous and a Short Toast

Friendsgiving is usually a potluck held on a weekend before or after Thanksgiving, so the invitation does a lot of work: it should say the date, who's bringing the turkey (or the main dish), and how people sign up for sides. A few rules that keep it easy:

Invite two to three weeks ahead. November weekends fill up fast, and people need time to plan a dish.

Use one sign-up list. A shared note or spreadsheet stops you ending up with four mac-and-cheeses and no rolls.

Ask about diets in the invite. One line ("Any allergies or vegetarians? Tell me so I can plan") saves an awkward moment.

Guests: bring what you said you'd bring, serving spoon included, and offer to help clean up.

Thank the host within a day or two. A text is fine for a casual potluck; a card is a nice touch if they cooked the whole meal.

Friendsgiving invitation lines

• You're invited to Friendsgiving! Saturday, Nov 21, 5 p.m. at our place. We've got the turkey; you bring a side and your appetite.
• Friends + food + gratitude = Friendsgiving. Join us on Saturday the 21st and sign up for a dish here: [link].
• Our table is bigger than our families this year, and we want you at it. Friendsgiving, Nov 28, 4 p.m. Leftover containers encouraged.
• Calling all orphans, strays and people who just want more pie: Friendsgiving at Jess's on Friday. BYO dish and favorite story.
• Join us for a cozy Friendsgiving potluck. Bring a dish that tastes like home to you, wherever home is.
• Stretchy pants recommended. Friendsgiving is on! Reply with what you're bringing so we don't get five pies. (Actually, five pies is fine.)

Thank-you lines for the host

• Thank you for opening your home and feeding all of us so well. Your Friendsgiving was the best night of my November.
• I'm still thinking about that stuffing. Thank you for hosting, and for making everyone feel like family.
• Thanks for the wonderful Friendsgiving. You made it look effortless, and I know it wasn't. Next year I'm on dish duty.
• That was exactly what I needed: good food, good people and a lot of laughing. Thank you for bringing us together.

A short Friendsgiving toast

• "Most of us didn't choose our families, but we chose each other. To the people at this table: thank you for showing up this year, and for staying. Cheers!"
• "To the cooks, the dishwashers and the people who only brought chips. Happy Friendsgiving to my favorite people."
• "Before we eat: I'm grateful for every person here, even the one who brought store-bought pie. To us!"

Group Chats and Short Texts

For a group chat, keep it short enough to read in one glance and open enough that everyone can reply. For a one-to-one text, add the person's name; it's the cheapest way to make a short message feel personal.

• Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! This chat is on my list of things I'm thankful for.
• Grateful for this group and every ridiculous meme in it. Happy Thanksgiving!
• Happy Thanksgiving, [Name]! Thankful for you.
• Eat well, nap well, and don't discuss politics. Love you all. Happy Thanksgiving!
• To my favorite people: Happy Thanksgiving. Post your plates, I want to see them.
• Thankful for friends who feel like family. Have a great day!
• Gobble gobble, friend. Hope your day is full of good food and good company.
• Happy Turkey Day! You're one of the best things about this year.

Funny Thanksgiving Lines for Friends

Teasing works when it's about the food, the nap or the shared history, and not about anyone's weight, family or cooking disasters they're still sensitive about. For more, our funny Thanksgiving captions and jokes page has whole sets for group chats.

• I'm thankful for you, and for the fact that you'll never tell anyone what happened at last year's Friendsgiving.
• Happy Thanksgiving to my partner in elastic waistbands.
• Friends are the family you choose. I chose you, so please bring a better side dish this year.
• Thank you for being the kind of friend who will help me hide the burnt rolls.
• Today I'm grateful for good friends, great food and the strength to reach the pie table one more time.
• You're like gravy: you make everything better and I need more of you than is reasonable.
• Happy Thanksgiving! Let's eat until we can't move, then text each other about it from the couch.

Faith-Filled Wishes for a Friend

If your friend shares your faith, a short blessing can say more than a long message. If you're not sure, a "thinking of you" line is safer than a prayer.

• I thank God for the gift of your friendship. May your home be full of peace and your table full of blessings this Thanksgiving.
• Praying that this Thanksgiving fills your heart with joy and your days with grace. Grateful for you, my friend.
• You've been an answer to prayer more times than you know. Happy Thanksgiving, and God bless you and your family.
• May the Lord bless you and keep you this Thanksgiving and through the year ahead. Thankful to call you my friend.
• Counting my blessings today, and you're one of the biggest. Happy Thanksgiving!

"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."

— Proverbs 17:17, King James Version, 1611

This is the verse many Christians reach for when thanking a friend who stayed close through a hard season. In a card, it works well under a short personal line such as "You proved this verse true for me this year."

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What Can I Say Instead of "Happy Thanksgiving"?

If "Happy Thanksgiving" feels flat after the tenth time, swap in one of these openers and finish the sentence with something specific about your friend:

Opener	Best for
"Grateful for you today..."	Any friend; works as a text or a card opener
"Counting you among my blessings..."	Close or faith-minded friends
"Saving you a seat..."	Long-distance friends or friends who are alone
"Happy Friendsgiving!"	Anyone at, or invited to, a Friendsgiving
"Enjoy the long weekend..."	Coworker-friends and newer friends
"Thinking of you..."	A friend having a hard year

Write Your Own in Three Blanks

The messages above are starting points. The one your friend keeps is the one that could only have been written to them. Fill in three blanks:

1. Greeting + name: "Happy Thanksgiving, ___."
2. One specific thing you're thankful for: "Thank you for ___ this year." (a moment, a favor, a habit of theirs)
3. A look ahead: "Can't wait to ___." (a plan, a call, next year's Friendsgiving)

Worked example: "Happy Thanksgiving, Maya. Thank you for driving two hours to help me move in August. I still owe you that dinner, so let's make it Friendsgiving at my new place."

A few things to leave out: a forwarded image with no personal line (it reads as a mass send), long religious passages for a friend who doesn't share your faith, and anything that makes the message about your own busy year rather than about them. If you're writing in a printed card rather than a text, our Thanksgiving card wishes page covers sign-offs and card layout, and our main Thanksgiving wishes guide has lines for family, hosts and coworkers.

Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving 2026: The Facts

Question	Answer
When is Thanksgiving 2026?	Thursday, November 26, 2026 (U.S. federal holiday list, OPM)
When did "Friendsgiving" start?	Merriam-Webster dates its first known use to 2007 and added it to the dictionary in 2020 (NPR, Nov 19, 2025)
Did the TV show Friends invent it?	No. The show had Thanksgiving episodes, but it ended in 2004, before the word was first recorded (NPR)
When did it go mainstream?	By 2011 it was the theme of a Baileys Irish Cream ad campaign (NPR); Google searches were rare before 2012 and climbed from 2013 (Wikipedia)
How many people do it?	About 20% of U.S. adults in a 2024 Statista survey planned to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends, most often people aged 18 to 44 (Statista)

The idea is older than the word. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973), in which Charlie Brown hosts his friends for a makeshift holiday meal, is often cited as an early Friendsgiving on screen.

Common Questions About Thanking Friends at Thanksgiving

What do you write in a Thanksgiving card to a friend?

Open with their name and a warm greeting, thank them for one specific thing from this year, and close with a wish or a plan: "Happy Thanksgiving, Sam. Thank you for every Sunday walk this year. Here's to many more." Sign off with "Love," "Gratefully," or "Your friend," depending on how close you are.

How do you thank all your friends at once?

Post or send one short message to the group that names what the friendship gave you this year ("Thank you for the laughs, the help with the move and the 2 a.m. pep talks"), then follow up with a one-line personal text to the two or three people who did the most.

Is it okay to send a Thanksgiving text instead of a card?

Yes. For most friends a text on Thanksgiving morning is normal and welcome. Save cards for close friends, older friends who like mail, and anyone who hosted you.

When is Friendsgiving held?

There is no fixed date. Most people hold it on a weekend before Thanksgiving, so it doesn't clash with family plans; some do it on the Friday or Saturday after, with leftovers.

Before You Hit Send: A Quick Checklist

Check	Why it matters
Did you use their name?	A name turns a mass text into a message.
Is there one detail only about them?	That detail is what gets remembered.
Group chat: does it fit on one screen?	Long messages get skimmed in a busy chat.
Lonely or grieving friend: did you offer a call, a seat or a plate?	A concrete offer is easier to accept than "let me know if you need anything."
Timing: texts the night before or Thanksgiving morning; cards mailed to arrive the weekend before.	Early beats late; a belated wish is fine but needs a "sorry I'm late" line.