About Family Reunions

Family reunions can be exciting for families who do not get to see each other often. It is fun to catch up and celebrate all of the reasons why it is great to be related. Laughter, tears and memories--chances are your family reunion will have it all.

Significance

A family reunion is a time when all members of an extended family gather at a place and spend some time with each other. Activities are planned and meals are shared. Generally, people share their experiences and feelings during this time with their loved ones; some may also seek advice from elder members.

Size

A large part of the family reunion is deciding who is a part of the family and who will be invited to attend. If it is a big family reunion, everybody can be invited. But if it is a smaller one, whom to invite can be a critical question. It has to be fair yet reasonable.

Types

There are many different types of events that you can plan for a family reunion, including cruises, theme park visits, barbecues or picnics, formal parties or other themed events, and game nights or sporting competitions. The key is taking into account the interests and abilities of those attending. If the family reunions are organized in such a manner that everyone feels special and can participate with the others, it will be a much more fulfilling event for everyone.

Features

After deciding who the attendees will be, collect their contact information: phone numbers, street and email addresses. You will need to communicate with these people frequently and promptly, so it is better to do this via email. Getting a photographer is a good idea. Find out if somebody is willing to do the job from the family itself. Later, the pictures can be distributed to everyone via email or put on the website for sharing.

Considerations

Discuss with everybody and choose a date and location for the family reunion. To keeps things organized and to get input from everyone, create a website specifically for the reunion. Ask everybody to go to that website and vote for the location and date they want. Go with the majority. There is also great planning software available for family reunions (see Additional Resources).

Prevention/Solution

At the reunion, some people will not know everyone, and sometimes this can be awkward. There will be some new people, like spouses or children. The solution is to get name tags made for everyone.
Start the reunion with some ice-breaking activity like meeting everyone, shaking hands and mingling. If possible, get a big family tree made and paste it somewhere within sight. Or ask everyone for baby pictures and have fun picking out each person. Do something to make everyone comfortable right from the beginning, and the event will be a success.

Warning

If you do your best to involve everybody in the planning, they won't have a reason to complain later or feel as if they missed out on something.
It is very easy for a family reunion to spiral out of control and exceed the budget if there are too many people involved in the planning process. Try to stick with the budgets and always elect someone to make the final decisions.

Resources

• Plan the Perfect Family Reunion
• Keep Your Family Connected
• "Better Homes & Gardens" Family Reunion Planner