Family Reunion Tips

Family reunions can be very stressful and by the time you have it all organized and it's done with, you might realize you had no fun at all because you spent the entire time trying to make everyone else happy.

Sure you will have great pictures and everyone will say 'What a great reunion!' but you should be a PART of the reunion as well as just the organizer.

Here are some simple tips to help make sure all the work doesn't fall on your shoulders.

The first thing you should ever do is remember to stay ahead of the game. If you are having the reunion outdoors, have a backup plan just in case it rains.

If you are barbecuing for everyone, be sure to have extra everything. Coals, gas, plates, cups, food, and drinks. Even if nobody likes your barbecued salmon, you will have plenty for yourself later on.

Make sure you have people to help you clean also. Even a small family can annihilate a park with trash.

Don't organize the entire thing by yourself. Many people do this and it can really ruin the experience for them. If your spouse wants nothing to do with it, get a sibling or parent to help you.

If your sons and daughters have their own families, delegate some responsibility to them. You did make them after all.

Don't expect your family reunion to be absolutely perfect. When you get a big group of people together, there is bound to be an issue or two.

If you let everyone drink beer all day, by evening, odds are you will have to scrape at least one family member off the ground and get them home.

People are unpredictable so as long as you remember that, when something weird happens, you can laugh and try to resolve it easily. Read more...

Family Reunions

Family reunions are a great way to keep in touch with your extended family and teach your children about your family heritage.

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 can 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.

There are tons of things to do to get ready for a family reunion. 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.

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.

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. Read more...

How to Plan a Family Reunion

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.

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.

By 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.

The next thing is to figure out where to have the family reunion. Usually this is 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.

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.

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. Read more...