A family reunion is a wonderful means of keeping in touch with your far-flung family members. It can be a great deal of fun to chat with aunts and cousins that you haven’t talked to in a long time, and if you have children, it’s a chance for them to learn about their heritage.
Preparing for a family reunion can be a huge undertaking. There are so many steps involved, starting with getting in touch with everyone, choosing a date that accommodates everyone’s schedules, finding a location, and planning what to eat and what to do. If you have a large group, you might want to start organizing a year or two ahead of time.
The most difficult part is figuring out a time when most of your relatives can make it. People are busy with other plans, or can’t get away from their jobs. This can make or break your family reunion plans. Thankfully, modern technology has brought us email, which makes it much easier to communicate quickly and settle on a date.
Now you need to decide on a location for your family reunion. How big your family is will be the main consideration here. If a family member has a huge yard or estate and is agreeable to hosting the occasion, this can be the perfect solution. Another alternative is to hold it in a park where you can book the space you need.
Good Food for a Good Time
Next on your checklist should be the food. Eating is always an important part of any family get-together, and you need to look at what your choices are to feed everyone.
Start by getting in touch with a representative of each family to collect their ideas and preferences, and then get general agreement on what you’ll be eating.
Almost certainly the simplest plan is to have your family reunion catered. Of course, this can get quite costly and might not be realistic for everyone’s personal finances.
A barbecue can be an enjoyable and economical way to feed your group. Ask each family unit to bring their own BBQ grill to the picnic site, and everyone can cook and eat at the same time. And everyone can make their favorite foods. This is a great way to satisfy everyone.
If you like, you can ask everyone to share in the cost of purchasing some beverages and snacks. Ask each family to bring a side dish and share them potluck style.
Fun Family Reunion Activities
After everyone has caught up with each other’s lives and eaten their fill, it’s time to get everyone moving. Having some fun activities planned is essential to a successful family reunion.
Your plans should include some sports and games that are fun for all ages, such as softball or volleyball. Another great idea is to hold a family Olympics with prizes and ribbons. Team up different age groups to keep it fair.
You also want some activities targeted especially to the children to keep them from getting bored and unmanageable. If you have lots of room, consider renting an inflatable play structure for the day. Set up a coloring area, and bring lots of outdoor games for them to play such as croquet, badminton, and horseshoes. Organize a sack race and candy toss.
With careful planning, your family reunion will supply enough memories to last a lifetime, or at least until the next gathering!
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