According to Urban Dictionary, Friendmas is, “A tradition in which friends gather to have fun and merriment around that most joyous and jolly of times, Christmas.”

Much like Friendsgiving, Friendmas is all about bringing your friends together for Christmas festivities, that quite frankly are ten times more fun than Thanksgiving festivities (sorry not sorry).

While I am not trying to skip over Thanksgiving, I do want to throw some dates and ideas around for all of you who want to get a jump start on Friendmas. Below are some ideas and events to celebrate your Friendsmas.

1. Rochester, MI - Big Bright Light Show

The town of Rochester, MI lights up its storefronts the length of the whole town from November 21, 2016 until January 1, 2017. The lighting will begin at 7 p.m. on November 21^st, 2016. Head out with some friends for the lighting, free carriage rides, shopping, and maybe even stop in at Dessert Oasis, the local coffee shop, to top off the night.

2. Royal Oak, MI - Detroit Zoo Wild Lights

Head over to the Detroit Zoo for a Friendmas filled with stunning lights and some furry friends. On select dates in November and December 2016, you can experience the zoo in a whole new way with a magnificent light show. The dates can be found on the Detroit Zoo’s website when searching “Wild Lights” in the search box. Be sure to get your tickets before they run out!

3. Christmas Cookie Making/Passing and Movie Marathon

As simple as it may seem, a good old fashioned night in with your friends is the best way to spend the holidays. Making cookies and passing around your favorites while watching some of your favorite Christmas movies together will make for a wonderful Friendmas! Want to give it a twist? Have each friend bring a cookie tray representing traditional cookies based on their heritage. Another twist for my 21+? Look into playing the Elf the Movie Drinking Game. It can be found by searching “Elf Drinking Game” in any search engine.

4. Detroit, MI- Skating at Campus Martius

The Rink at Campus Martius allows for you and your friends to experience Ice Skating with a Holiday Twist. Decorated and ready for Christmas, Campus Martius lights up downtown Detroit, paving the way for a wonderful Friendmas trip. The tree lighting ceremony is on November 18, 2016. The rink is open from November 18, 2016 - March 5, 2017. The rink is open 7 days a week and the hours and price information can be found here.

5. Host a Fondue, PJ, and Gag White Elephant Night

Hosting a fondue night is one of the easiest and comfiest ways to celebrate Friendmas. Have each one of your guests bring goodies to dip in either cheese or chocolate fondue... or do both! Get creative with your fondue flavors using Pinterest! Throw on some PJs because let’s be real, you’re not going to want to wear tight clothes while stuffing yourself with cheese and chocolate. Finally, have friends bring gag gifts (a can of corn, condoms, or a potato for example) for a fun White Elephant gift exchange. Information on how to play “White Elephant” can be found online.

6. Royal Oak, MI - Santa Pub Crawl

On December 10, 2016, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., 21+ can enjoy a Holiday Pub Crawl in downtown Royal Oak. Grab your friends, wear your tackiest Christmas Sweater, and get ready for a drunken Christmas crawl filled with confusing your friend dressed as Santa with all the other Santa’s flooding the streets. Giveaways will occur all day long all over the main strip. A link for tickets can be found on their Facebook event page here.

7. Troy, MI- BYOB Christmas Light Trolley Tour

Joe Kool’s Bar and Grill takes 32 passenger groups on a tour to some of the biggest light shows in Metro Detroit area. The dates for the event include: December 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31^st. The tour stops at The Detroit Zoo’s Wild Lights event, Rochester Big Bright Light Show, and Campus Martius to see the Christmas tree. 21+ are allowed to drink on the trolley and adults under 21 may come, but must be accompanied by an adult! The trolley leaves from Joe Kool’s at 5 p.m. and will return at 10:30 p.m. Tickets for the Wild Lights can be purchased separately. More information can be found on their Facebook event page here.

This is a great opportunity for friends of all ages to enjoy a guided tour together with a designated driver!

8. Volunteering, Supporting a Veteran or Adopting a Family

The holidays can be tough for many families struggling to pay rent, provide toys for their children, cloth their children properly, and even put food on the table. Moreover, Veterans living on the streets have an even harder time getting back on their feet in the harsh conditions of a Michigan winter. Choosing to adopt a family, support a veteran, or raise money for a local shelter with your friends this Friendmas could very well be the most rewarding thing to do on this list. Not only are you spending time with your closest friends, you are improving the life of someone in your community. Looking into how you can help local organizations is one Google search away from giving the greatest gift of all this Christmas: service to others.

Whether you choose to stay in for the night or hit the town, celebrating Friendmas can be as easy as wearing ugly sweaters and having everyone pass a dish around!

The holidays are all about being with our family and friends and enjoying the gift of having each other in our lives. Put on those Santa hats and get to thinking of how you can make this holiday season a one to remember.

A final side note, please be safe this holiday season and find a designated driver. It could save the lives of others as well as yourself and is not worth the consequences. Happy Holidays and an early Merry Christmas to you all!