Thanksgiving · The host · Heartfelt · about a minute
Heartfelt Friendsgiving Toast From the Host (About 1 Minute)
A host who moved to a new city knowing nobody wanted to tell her Friendsgiving group what they had become to her, without making the table cry before dinner.
Given by Nadia, hosting Friendsgiving in the city she moved to alone. 149 words. The names are made up.
The toast
Before we eat, I want to show you something. This is my key ring.
When I moved here, it had two keys on it. My apartment and my bike lock. Nobody in this city had a key to my place, and I didn't have a key to anyone's. If I locked myself out, I was calling a locksmith and sitting on the stairs.
Now there are seven. That one is Annelise's, from the week she had surgery and somebody had to feed her cat. That one is Lucian's, because he loses his own about once a month. A couple of them I honestly don't remember getting. And four of you have a key to this door.
You don't give your spare key to people you just met. You give it to the people you'd call at two in the morning.
So, raise your glass. To everyone on this ring.
Why it works: The key ring is a real object she can hold up, and the keys say what she means without her having to say it. Each key gets a quick, specific reason, and the last line turns the keys back toward the people at the table.
Make it yours
Borrow the shape, not the lines. Put your own people, your own year and your own detail in each spot, or answer a few questions and get a first draft built from them.