Even if you plan to celebrate Thanksgiving with family, it's still good to know how to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends. You never know when you might find yourself in a position to have a friends-only Thanksgiving or maybe just add a friend to the yearly guest list.

• don't let your friends get lost in the hustle of making Thanksgiving dinner. Take the time to stop and make sure they feel welcome.

How you plan do do this Thanksgiving dinner has a large impact on how you decide to celebrate it with your friends. Are you doing a traditional dinner or do you want to deviate from the norm this year and learn how to host a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner? These are the things to think of as you look over the suggestions below for you holiday season.

Whether you are planning to have family and friends or just friends, the first thing you need to consider is how you can make them feel welcome on Thanksgiving. This is especially true when you are having a typical Thanksgiving with things going on like Dad and Uncle Joe arguing over how to carve a turkey. You want your friends to feel as if they belong and are not imposing. Use the tips below to make this happen.

1. Ask them to bring a dish that they made.
2. Ask them if they would like to help prepare dinner.
3. Talk with them about their family Thanksgivings to see if there is anything you can incorporate into your dinner.
4. Let your family know that a dear friend is coming and you are excited about it.

You can almost figure out what a Thanksgiving dinner is going to look like. There will be a turkey on the table, Mom's trying to figure out how to manage difficult relatives during Thanksgiving and Dad is wanting to know how to avoid the in-laws at Thanksgiving, all while surrounded by family photos, baskets of fruits and flowers and the smell of pumpkin pie. Use the suggestions below to change this scenario to one that includes your friends.

1. Go out for Thanksgiving.
2. Place pictures of friends in the collection of family photos.
3. Make a CD of songs that you and your friends listen to and play it softly in the background.
4. Make it a completely casual dinner. Come one, all you really want to do after you eat is get comfy on the couch anyhow!
5. Schedule activities that you and your friends might enjoy.

At some point during the day, you really need to thank your friends for coming over. Having friends around on Thanksgiving is just a part of knowing how to avoid stress on Thanksgiving. That's because while family may pick your life apart, generally friends are much more accepting. Let them know that you were happy to have them join you for this meal.