Family reunions are a great way to reconnect with distant relatives, but planning requires careful consideration. Creating a list of family members, getting help, and brainstorming ideas for food and activities can make for a successful reunion.
Even with all the latest computer technologies allowing us to maintain comfortable contact with our distant family members, it’s still nice to visit them in person from time to time. If we can get everyone together in one place, we can have a full-on family reunion. While finding a time and place where all family members can come together takes careful planning, patience, and a thick skin, family reunions can be wonderful! Here are some ideas to keep in mind if you want to plan a family reunion:
First of all, remember that just because you somehow get the majority of your family together, family reunions don’t magically erase feelings or resentments that have built up over time. That said, family reunions are a great way to reconnect with relatives you may have lost contact with due to the geographical distance between you. It also gives relatives such as cousins the opportunity to meet members of their family they may never have met.
The first step in planning a family reunion is to create a list of all family members to invite. It’s a good idea to have a team of family members to help you plan the reunion. Not only will it reduce the work for you, but it will help reduce the risk of forgetting to invite the family that should have been invited! Another great idea when planning family reunions is to informally email or phone family members about their ideas for where to hold the reunion and what months might work for them to attend. You can divide the list of names among your planning team and the responses will give you a better idea of the “when” and “where” of the scheduled meeting.
Once you figure out the location and date for your family reunion, you can plan the food, themes, decorations, and activities. A brainstorming approach with your relatives on your planning team can be a lot of fun and helpful. The best approach for family reunions is to keep everything simple, especially if children will be attending. Think of a simple buffet that will allow for something for everyone and games and activities that are easy enough for all ages. For example, you might have bingo cards spelling out your family’s last name with photos of family members taking the place of the bingo numbers.
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