None of the six friends ever say the word ' friendsgiving ' on the show — but there is an interesting connection between the show and the custom .
Friendsgiving is a comparatively raw tradition that I ’ve wholeheartedly embraced . If you ’re unfamiliar with the celebration , it ’s aThanksgiving dinnershared between friends rather than folk . Of naturally , I ’m all for eating two Thanksgiving repast — especially when there’spumpkin pieinvolved — but there ’s just something about a twenty-four hour period dedicated to celebrating friendship that chip in me the ardent fuzzies .
But where did Friendsgiving come from ? It ’s become progressively democratic over the last few years , but its origin go back to the mid-2000s . I ’ve heard many theory that the full term ' Friendsgiving ' can be attributed to the TV showFriends — but how believable is that ? So , as a certifiedFriendsexpert — my credential include own a ' Geller Cup ' triiodothyronine - shirt and quoting Chandler Bing whenever potential — I decided to find out .
Credit: Getty / Paul Drinkwater
It ’s a well - known fact oneFriendsThanksgiving instalment aerate each time of year . And since there are ten seasons , it ’s become a custom in many households to ascertain all ten episodes back - to - back around Thanksgiving metre ( my favourite is ' The One With the Football ' ) . Each season , for some reason or another , all six of the ally witness themselves keep together in the city rather than going home to their families . And so , each Thanksgiving , the episode concludes with the friends declaring their gratefulness and appreciation for each other — much like the modern - daytime Friendsgiving celebration .
So while no one ever say ' Friendsgiving ' on the show , many credit the six friends with the invention of Friendsgiving . Not to refer the show ’s name is literally part of the word of honor . So , is this just a crazy devotee hypothesis ? As it turn out , no , it ’s not — some meaning data point to Friendsgiving originating from the show .
Friendswas on the air from 1994 to 2004 , and the first recordedGoogle search for ' Friendsgiving’hit in the fall of 2004 . Could thisbemore of a coincidence ? And then , when friends first came to Netflix in 2015 — making the show easily approachable to the masses for the first time since it had break air out — Google look for ' Friendsgiving ' peaked again and have steadily increased every twelvemonth since .
And in case you demand further convincing that you should add Friendsgiving ( and aFriendsmarathon ) to your yearly holiday plan , Merriam - Webster officially added the terminal figure to the dictionaryin 2020 . So as you gather your mob for a Friendsgiving celebration this twelvemonth , say a ready thanks to Monica , Rachel , Phoebe , Chandler , Ross , and Joey for this heartfelt tradition .
