Friendsgiving- A Family Away from Family
“Friends are the siblings we choose!” I say this more often than anything else. I grew up far away from my cousins so my friends were always the extended family that I missed growing up with. Now that I live 10,000 miles away from home, most of my festivals and holidays are filled with friend’s get-togethers and outings that actually cheer us all from missing home.
me and Lakki (my support system, I can’t imagine where I would be without her)
While I’m grateful for a lot of things these past years, I’m grateful for my friends the most who are just a phone call or a knock away when I need them. I am blessed to have had my best friend as my roommate for the past 10 years who loved me in my dorky days and difficult moments, where if the rest of the world saw me, they would probably walk away.
my roomies- Swapna (my biggest supporter and promoter of my blog, she is hair goals and the sweetest soul who will be ready to help anytime you ask), me (the fat nose gal :P) and Arpita (the bestest cook any roommate would want,warm and kind person)
When Chesapeake Bay Candle approached me to share my Thanksgiving tradition, I was excited to know someone is actually interested in my Indo-American vegetarian Thanksgiving tradition (huh! That was too long to type). Although we don’t exactly celebrate Thanksgiving in India, there are several other festivals celebrated that convey a similar theme of giving thanks, such as Pongal, Onam, and Vaisakhi.
The idea of Thanksgiving for me is celebrating the holiday with my friends, having a big fat Indian/Thai meal (because Asian restaurants are the only ones that are open on Thanksgiving day :)), and then heading to the mall or stores for the rest of the night, have a heavenly hot chocolate with salted caramel in Dunkin Donuts at midnight and an early morning pizza at Target’s Pizza Hut. This has been my unbroken tradition for several years. Now, that I think of it, I am happy to be doing the same thing with the same people all through these years
Chesapeake Bay Candles Home collection Pumpkin Spice Scent
Outfit Details: (left to right) Swapna- Lace dress (last seen here) | Necklace | BP wedges
Me- Faux leather pleated skirt (on sale) | Sweater (also like this) | Necklace (also here) | Pumps (also love this) | Earrings
Arpita- Velvet dress | Pumps | Earrings
[Also Check 13 Thanksgiving Outfit ideas]
me and ale (miss u! my roommate from college, my partner in all crimes, my twin, a person who can make me smile instantly and the best friend anyone would love to have), picture from our last year’s NYC trip
me & Akhi (my benchmate from college, a cutie-pie, my award-winning partner in all my projects, a creativity stirrer, a wonderful writer and the best doodler I know. Oh! you should check her Instagram for daily journal doodle art)
Like every other Thanksgiving, I am celebrating this with my girls. I love dressing up for festivals, we girls enjoy stealing each other dresses and help one another with makeup and hair. We like to eat our heart out, change into warm clothes and head out to splurge on sales.
There are many things that go into making a holiday memorable, most importantly being surrounded by friends and loved ones. Good food and decor is a delight but the fragrance is what brings everything together and creates lasting memories that can be triggered when you cross that scent again in years to come. Like the smell of the freshly baked cake in a pressure cooker reminds me of my good old summer vacations, the smell of jasmine transports me to my mom’s garden, and the smell of pumpkin, campfire, and falling leaves makes me pumped for Autumn.
Chesapeake Bay Candles Home collection Hinoki Bonsai Scent
Chesapeake Bay Candles Home collection Waterfall Scent
Chesapeake Bay Candles Home collection Autumn Leaves Scent
I am always drawn towards warm and woody smells so this holiday, I am picking some nature-inspired scented candles from the Chesapeake Bay Candle Home Collection like the Autumn leaves, Balsam Citrus, Waterfall, and Hinoki Bonsai that have a relaxing and nostalgic aromatic scent. I love all these scents, I seriously can’t pick a favorite. I love the toasty pine cone smell of Autumn leaves, the freshwater lily smell of waterfall, citrus orange and clove of Balsam Citrus, and the unveiling notes of eucalyptus, cedar, and spices of hinoki bonsai.
Chesapeake Bay Candles Home collection Balsam Citrus Scent
They are not the strongest scented candles. But it’s nice to catch a whiff of it while walking by it. If you are sensitive to strong smells like I am, these candles are your best bet.
The candles from Chesapeake Bay Candle have wicks made from 100% cotton and they are lead-free. The wick is small to ensure that the flame doesn’t grow tall. Each candle has been poured by a skilled artisan, how cool is that?
- Pumpkin Spice– creamy nuances of harvested pumpkin with ground cinnamon and spicy clove amid fresh apples and golden vanilla.
- Autumn Leaves– the changing of the season brings notes of apple, crushed leaves, and crisp citrus in the air as acorns, sandalwood, and amber rest at the base.
- Waterfall– Waterfall is a crisp scent of a morning breeze splashed with hints of cool citrus and fresh water lily amid soft cotton undertones.
- Cinnamon Spice– Red-hot cinnamon sticks, crushed clove buds, and toasted nutmeg blend with comforting notes of brown sugar and earthy wood bark.
- Balsam Citrus– Citrus orange and pine needles shimmer with fresh oak and snowy pinecones over hints of festive clove and toasted allspice.
- Hinoki Bonsai– Hinoki Bonsai is a captivating aromatic scent unveiling notes of eucalyptus, cedar, and cypress mixed with accents of oakmoss, spices, and white amber.
All this time I have never realized that my idea of Thanksgiving is always been Friendsgiving
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Table Set up: Dining table | Table Runner (also like this) | Serving Bowl | Gold Tray | Gold Silverware | Metallic beverage tub (not seen in the pictures) | Napkins this and this
Outfit: Burgundy Sweater | Pleated skirt (similar here and here) | Pumps | Necklace
*This post is sponsored by Chesapeake Bay Candle. As always, all opinions are my very own!
Thank you for stopping by!
Love,
Surekha
A friendsgivng sounds like such an awesome thing! And looks like so much fun too. How adorable are you?!
Those candles sound like they are perfect for fall – cozy and comforting. Like they’d pair perfect for a introvert like myself with a good book and tea.
Its always nice when you have people to celebrate holidays with when you can’t be with your family. you are very fortunate to have your wonderful friends!! the decorations look awesome, btw, and those candles look like they smell great lol
I just love this idea! And these candles all sound fabulous. I’d love these scents.
Nothing like having friends you can depend on in your life. Wonderful to share and enjoy your Thanksgiving traditions with them.
It sounds like you have great friends, people who are your second family.
I need to try those candles as well they all sound absolutely amazing!
I have a lot in common with you. I grew up separate from cousins and extended family. I now don’t live near any family other than my husband. And I always celebrate holidays with friends. Oh, and I’m also a vegetarian! Love the variety of candles.
THose candles sound amazing. I love the brand and always like to stock up on their candles. I like the idea of a Friendsgiving too!!
Wow, those are some great scented candles! We’ve never done a friendsgiving, it seems we are always near our families. But I love the idea of getting together with friends.
Awww…What a beautiful post! I think it is a great idea that you’ve started a tradition with Friendsgiving and I love that you eat a comination of Indian-American cuisine. The table looks so pretty with the gorgeous scented candles! 🙂
I love scented candles and I love friendsgiving! You and your friends look like you all are having a great time!
I love the idea of Friendsgiving. My friends and I had one last year, but it was a couple of weeks before the actual holiday since we all came home during our Thanksgiving break from college. Friends are the best!
Scented anything is my thing. I have followed people trying to figure out what they are wearing or the scent in the room. Great friendsgiving post.
Friendsgiving is one of my favorites! My friends and I do it every year and we all make a dish. it’s such a fun tradition!! These pictures are so sweet!
You have a lovely Thanksgiving tradition! Celebrating with friends is always such a nice thing.
I love having candles going. I would love to try the Balsam Citrus. We love to spend Thanksgiving with friends and family.
Your meal and celebration with friend sounds amazing! I love the comfy candle scent choices!
You are blessed to have such amazing friends and room mates who are more than a family and your true supporter. Loved the Thanksgiving meals you brought out! These scented candles seems brilliant.
I know what it’s like to be far away from home so I can totally relate to your post ,
Also the candle scents sound amazing thank u for your recommendations:)
You are so lucky to find friends who love you like family! I hope you celebrate more Thanksgiving together!
You’re truly blessed because you have an amazing friends! They fill in your happiness even you are away from your family.
What a great post that shows the beauty of your friendship with your friends. Friends are our chosen family. Thank you for sharing.
Thanksgiving with friendsgiving. Sweet post portraying beautiful relationship of friends. Enjoyed reading your friendship connect.
What a beautiful post! I love that you have such close friends and are able to celebrate the big holidays with them, I’d love to have those kind of friendships! Loved seeing all your pictures together 🙂
It’s so nice to reminisce our past experiences. Such happy memories makes me grateful. Also this is a very nice and cool way of sharing our blessings.
It is such a nice thing when you can meet a friend is so close to you that you consider them family. I love that. Hope you have an awesome friendsgiving.
You have amazing friends, and how wonderful it is to be able to spend holiday with them like they are family! I also love the beautiful table set up
Loved reading about what you did to celebrate. It is so important to celebrate with those you love,
What a fun idea! My daughter and her husband lived in the UK for two years. Their British friends always wanted to experience Thanksgiving so the Canadians would all get together and throw one for them. They would make traditional dishes and the Brits would make traditional British dishes to add to it. So fun!
I agree, friends are the siblings we choose. You are lucky to have so amazing friends. All of you look so pretty and happy together. It was great knowing how you celebrate Thanksgiving.
Wow Looks like you have a wonderful relationship as friends. Friends are really consider as our second family,we can tell them problems, eating with them etc. It’s nice to celebrate holidays with them like our family.
Consider yourself to find friends who are like family. Happy Thanksgiving.
I should get some of those Chesapeake candles myself. I have already chosen two which I love the best – pumpkin spice and hinoki bonsai. I am happy that you have found friends that are like family! I consider my best friends as my sisters from a different mother and father. So much love and caring we have for each other!
You are blessed to have such good friends! When I worked abroad for two years, my friends were my family. They did help ease the homesickness. Let us be thankful for the gift of friendship. They are our life’s treasures.
Happy Friendsgiving!! Aren’t we lucky to have friends that feel like family? It looks like you all had a wonderful time! (And, I LOVE Chesapeake Bay candles so much!!)
We’ve celebrated numerous Friendsgivings over the years and thank god for awesome friends! You have some great pictures !
Aww, I love the idea of Friendsgiving! Looks like you had a brilliant and happy time! Love the sound of that autumn leaves fragrance candle!
Looks like you and your friends had a wonderful time. Truth be told every Thanksgiving in our home is friendsgiving. We always invite our family and friends to join us. I remember how nice is was to accept invites from friends when I lived far away from my family.
I LOVE Friendsgiving. I’m in NYC and I have a lot of friends who are away from their families and it’s just a great way to get everyone together.
I’ve never done a Friendsgiving before, but now I want to. How fun! And I love all the candles. Those look and sound like they smell wonderful.
What a fun idea. We don’t have Thanksgiving here but this sounds like a lot of fun. I love those candles and your mantlepiece.