Family reunions are the source of many childhood memories, not always good ones. But if you have kids, you’ll appreciate that they’re a great way to keep in touch with your extended family and teach your children about their family heritage.
Planning a family reunion is not an easy task. Many families today just aren’t as close as they were decades ago and people work more than one job quite often.
There are tons of things to do to get ready for a family reunion. Trying to have everyone get time off of work can be impossible sometimes. You might even have to plan a year or two in advance to make sure everyone can attend.
The first thing you need to take is contacting everyone and having them help contact other family members. Maybe you don’t talk to your great uncle Bob but surely someone else in the family does.
Communication is the most important aspect of the planning process. If everyone isn’t in touch with each other, that is the first order of business.
Usually families figure out a date that is convenient and a place that isn’t too far from everyone’s home. That can be a very difficult thing to try to organize and is the number one reason family reunions don’t happen as much as everyone would like.
Family members may be very busy or just not be able to take time off work. Sometimes, someone might not even like the family and just skip the whole thing anyway.
After you pick a date, you have to agree on a place. It could be the home of an older relative or just someone who has the biggest house or maybe a theme park. Food is always a factor at family reunions and whether you decide to have a barbecue or a catered meal, everyone loves to eat.
The decision of where to have the family reunion is usually influenced by money. If your family is on a pretty tight budget, odds are you won’t be flying to Hawaii just to spend some time with cousins and other extended family members when you could use that money to fix up your home or vehicles.
Everyone should try as hard as they can to agree and also accommodate older or disabled family members. It’s not a good idea to plan a wilderness themed family reunion full of hikes when Grandma is in a wheelchair.
Family reunions always have their ups and downs. This is exaggerated with family because people feel much more comfortable teasing and insulting each other.
Add a little alcohol into the mix and there is a good chance of people getting angry or offended. It all depends on the family though. Some families really get along great and make many wonderful memories at a family reunion.
Family reunions give kids a multi-generational experienceBy delegating a little responsibility you can save yourself quite a bit of time and effort. Make sure to have reliable family members help or everything will get screwed up however.
You will have to make sure anyone who isn’t coming notifies the family so they can be taken off the list if you have planned activities.
After you have planned the when and where, all you really need to do is follow up with everyone often. Monthly calls and reminders will work for a while until the date starts
getting closer.
How to Plan a Family Reunion : Family Reunion Planning Tips
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