My Family Reunions

that $5 each for white shirt printed in your choice of ink color using one      of our temple’s  with you family information

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How to Plan a Family Reunion Everyone Will Enjoy

Planning an annual family reunion is a great way to keep all your siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, nieces, and nephews connected. A yearly gathering of all the extended family members is a wonderful way to keep everyone in the loop about upcoming or recent weddings and births, new pets, career news, and other life events. Family reunions offer a much more personal experience than a yearly Christmas card, so even if you aren’t in the habit of planning a family reunion each year, there’s no time like the present to get started!
Sometimes family members live so far apart from one another that getting together and having fun happens only once or twice a year. This is especially true with extended families – all the cousins and great aunts and uncles whom you see rarely unless you host or attend a family reunion. Not to mention, the older we get, it seems we get busier as well. This combination of distance and busy lifestyles makes it vital to start planning a family reunion at least several months before the date you wish to host it.

Family Reunion Location, Location, Location

Choosing a location for your family reunion can be a wonderful experience of narrowing down many unique and interesting locations to the one perfect fit for your group. Or, it can be a stressful event of trying to figure out how you can be fair to the relatives in New Jersey and also fair to family out in California, Louisiana, and Virginia all at the same time.
Sometimes when planning a family reunion, it becomes necessary to make decisions that could impact whether certain guests will be able to attend. Location of the event and the cost of getting there will often determine whether family members will be willing to travel for the event. In cases where family members live all over the country, just try to select a location that will please the largest number of people… or, send out an e-mail survey with the locations you are considering and try to get a verbal response of what people would prefer. Then go with majority rules.
An ideal location for your family reunion could just as easily be a park or a lakeside community, as a beach town or a mountain retreat. Consider all your possibilities for the location, as well as the ages and interests of your family members who would be most likely to attend. In the end, don’t beat yourself up about the small stuff. The most important thing is that you are making an effort to create this fun and enjoyable event.

Family Reunion Events and Activities

As with any large group of people, it’s important to put some structure into place for special events. It might be nice to offer some planned activities – sports like volleyball or horseshoes, as well as adventurous possibilities like hiking, fishing, or even horseback riding. You don’t have to plan all these activities, but you could request brochures from companies that provide them and then share with your guests in case anyone is up for an adventure.
Remember, it is also important to leave plenty of free time for your family to relax and enjoy themselves. Some personality types work very well when they’re on the go constantly, but others need a scheduled naptime or just a general break to recover and recharge their batteries.
Here are some simple activities that you could include at your family reunion:

• Board games

• Cards

• Icebreakers and getting to know you games

• Karaoke

• Name that tune

• Recipe swap

• Sports

• Water balloons (weather and temperature permitting)
Don’t forget to look for a location that provides ample space for your guests to spread out and chat, catch up on old times, or even just sit down for a picnic lunch. Picnic tables are excellent options for seating larger groups. You can even bring blankets for the younger relatives to relax on the ground, but just remember that Grandma and Grandpa may not be too keen on doing that themselves.

Food as Far as the Eye Can See

One of my favorite things about a family reunion is the really yummy and diverse food you get to enjoy. Our family reunions had everything from Maryland crabs and corn on the cob to sandwiches, ham, pork, brownies, and of course, Aunt Rose’s coveted homemade butter cookies. Each year we looked forward to these treats and more, which made the family reunion a long awaited and anticipated event.
The menu possibilities are virtually limitless, and you can save money by asking everyone to bring a covered dish or dessert. This works best if many of your family members are concentrated near the location of the event. If you are all or mostly traveling, it may be a good idea to shop around for reasonable caterers or restaurants offering food to go.

Final Tips on Planning and Hosting a Family Reunion

If you believe in Murphy’s Law, then this is the section of the article just for you. Here are some tips on how to avoid disasters at family reunions.
• Make sure you have a backup plan in case it rains. This includes not only location, but also alternate activities, events, and seating arrangements.
• Keep the peace, if possible. Try to remember that, even though they are family, all people don’t always get along with everyone. If squabbles break out and insults are flying between family members, do what you can to smooth things over, but don’t let it ruin your day.
• Find out your budget before you get too deep in planning. Sometimes family members chip into the overall cost of the family reunion. If you know you can count on to 0 from each individual family, it makes your job so much easier.
• Suggest hotels and rental car agencies for your out of town relatives. Going the extra mile to make their planning and scheduling experience easier may really impact the final outcome as far as whether they will attend the event or not. Hey, it can’t hurt to try!
Family reunions can be a lot of work to put together, but usually in the end, the outcome is worth every moment. Spending time with your relatives at least once a year is really important to developing stronger bonds and closer relationships. If you aren’t fully confident in taking on the task of planning a family reunion by yourself, talk to a close sibling or cousin and take the team approach. Once planned, your family reunion will be well worth the time and energy you spend creating and organizing it. Enjoy!

“Kit should Includes Post Card, Newsletter, Flyer”
Make your own Family Reunion contacts. Use postcards, follow up with a one page newsletter containing the final details of the reunion and send one last flyer reminding them to make their final plans to attend.

Family Reunion Invitation / Initial Contact Postcard: Just insert your reunion info, add the address, put on a stamp and mail it.

Family Reunion Update: A one page newsletter that uses both sides for key reunion information: final plans, payment due dates, contact info etc. Just insert your info, add a label or address, put on a stamp and mail it. Be sure to add a reminder for people to purchase the Reunion Book, Cookbook or T-shirt if you are also making/ selling them.

Family Reunion Final Notice: A one page mailing flyer with key information for family members to make their commitment to attend the upcoming reunion. Just insert your info, fold, add a label or address, stamp it and mail it. Be sure to add a reminder for people to purchase the Reunion Book, Cookbook or T-shirt if you are also making/ selling them.

1. Choose a coordinator.
Committees are great, but you’ll need one person or a couple to act as coordinator for the reunion. Grandparents make great coordinators because they are more likely to know most if not all of the family members. Coordinators should be mindful of the wishes of the group but able to make executive decisions when necessary.

2. Use networking skills.
Communicating about the reunion is easiest electronically. If your family has a web page, it can be used to post updates. An event planning website, such as MyEvent.com, will allow you to communicate with family members and do some specialized tasks, such as collecting fees and donations. Email is also effective, although some family members may neglect to save emails in a special folder. Websites avoid that problem. You should use regular mail for any members of the family who aren’t web-savvy.

3. Take time to update.
Be sure to take some time at the reunion to update addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. This can be done at the same time as the name tags. It’s easiest if you have a printout of the addresses you have, so that folks can make quick alterations to the information instead of having to start from scratch.

4. Think about tees.
Some families order T-shirts for reunion attendees. Shirts can be ordered as cheaply as $5 apiece, and they can be ordered in different colors for different branches of the family.

5. Tags can substitute for tees.
A cheaper alternative to T-shirts is to use colored wristbands on attendees to indicate the branch. If the reunion is large and lots of folks don’t know each other, name tags are a good idea. If you decide to use name tags, a snippet of colored ribbon can be attached to each to indicate the family. There’s no reason to do name tags ahead of time. Let the attendees fill them out as they arrive.

6. Create a family tree.
Cover a wall with butcher paper and sketch in the main branches of the family. Ask each person attending the reunion to bring a snapshot. Each branch of the family sketches their part of the family tree and adds their snapshots. The quality of the photos needn’t be high. A computer printout or color copy is fine. The purpose is to help every member of the family learn every other member.

7. Map family locations.
If members of the family are far-flung, post a map and allow attendees to mark their locations. This is a great learning activity for the younger members of the family.

8. Tell what’s new.
A good dinner activity for medium-sized groups is for members of the family to take turns telling what is new in their lives. Even preschool children can take part. Applaud each participant.

9. Showcase family talents.
A talent show can be a big hit. You’ll need to notify family members ahead of time so that they can come prepared. Set a time limit to keep performers from wearing out their audience. Designate someone as emcee to keep the acts moving along.

10. Share a slide show.
A slide show is a great addition to a family reunion that is being held indoors. Give that job to your most tech-savvy family member, and ask every branch of the family to email some favorite photos to him or her.

11. Bid for a better reunion.
Some families raise money for the next reunion with an auction. Family memorabilia will bring the best prices. There are dozens of things that can be done with old family photographs, from putting them on china plates to making quilts with them. The easiest thing, of course, is just to have them reproduced and put them in a frame. Crafts done by members of the family will also be highly prized.

12. Consider alternative games.
Although softball, volleyball and flag football are perennial reunion favorites, they can be too rough for youngsters. Consider washers, ladder ball or bocce; they can be enjoyed from ages eight to eighty.

13. Hire a photographer.
Although most families have an abundance of shutterbugs, it’s nice to hire a photographer so that no one feels pressured to take pictures. Of course, some will want to take pictures anyway. Whatever you do, don’t forget to smile!

#1. Plan Early. But Don’t Overplan.
Start organizing well before your gathering – the more expected to attend, the earlier you’ll want to plan.

Remember, though, your gathering is about people. When attendees look back at your reunion, what they’ll cherish most is quality time spent with long-lost family members. A reunion crammed with a frenzy of activities leaves little time for visiting and re-establishing those family ties that give us a sense of “roots” and much-needed permanence (in our otherwise fast-paced society).

Whether your reunion is centered around a potluck picnic in a neighborhood park or a on weekend cruise, try to keep your focus on your family and less on activities that, while entertaining, may only serve to distract from your memorable event.

#2  Mix Up Your Families.
No, I don’t mean you should confuse them. Just like when arranging where guests sit at a wedding reception, do your best to get family members to mingle. Social activities and games that get folks moving around work best. I also like the idea of having a member from each branch of the family stand up and share that family’s struggles, achievements and milestones – The kind of stuff my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles used to share in their frequent letters. These days, letter-writing seems to be a lost art, so a reunion is a great opportunity to move past presumptions about other family members and really get to know them and their experiences, share the burdens and acknowledge each other’s accomplishments. To me, that’s what family’s really about!

#3 Delegate.
We are all busy these days and, at first, it can be difficult to recruit helpers. But it’s sure worth the effort. Planning a gathering for a few hundred or a even few dozen guests can overwhelm the best of us – especially as the big day or weekend approaches. I speak from experience, here folks!

The more you can “spread the joy,” you will turn passive attendees who may simply arrive and wait to be entertained into participants with a sense “ownership” of the event.

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* A Family Reunion Book will help you to document your family tree .
* Gives all family members photos of your ancestors and the history of their lives.
* Showcase the accomplishments of gifted family members.
* Highlights intra-generational characteristics – see occupational trends and other unique features of your family.
* Give your children a point of reference for the importance of your unique family genealogy.
* It’s a great fund raiser – take orders in advance. The reunion committee can use the proceeds to underwrite reunion activities for elderly family members.
* Earn extra money by selling these family reunion booklets at the reunion.

should include ” family history, photos, biographies, games, family tree ”

Define “family reunion.” Will “extended family” be invited? How far into your family tree do you want to reach? What about friends of the family?

Decide what kind of party to have. Luncheon or dinner? Picnic or pool party? Pot luck or cookout? The choices are as unique as your family.

Determine who will take responsibility for planning the event. Can you handle making all the arrangements alone, or do you need some additional help? Ask for volunteers if necessary.

Select a location. Would the whole family enjoy meeting at a famous theme park? Or is a simple get-together at the old family homestead more appropriate?

Choose a date. The more people you plan to invite, the more advance notice you’ll need to give. Today’s schedules are complicated, so give your guests plenty of time to plan.

Make a guest list. Start with the people for whom you have complete addresses and telephone numbers. Call relatives to jog your memory about long-lost aunts and uncles. Use the Internet to search for missing cousins. Invite everyone! That’s why it’s called a “reunion!”

Formulate a budget. This figure depends almost entirely upon the number of people invited. Make your guest list carefully, then determine a per-person cost.

Select a location. Will you rent a hall, a restaurant banquet room, or a hotel ballroom? What about a camp site at the lake or a historic home? What does your family expect…and your budget allow?

Determine who will handle expenses. In most cases, each family member shares in the cost of the event.

Prepare and mail invitations. They can be either plain or fancy, but make sure invitations include all the important details about your reunion. Mail them in plenty of time for people to respond, and ask everyone to let you know if they’re attending.

Follow up the invitations with a phone call. These days, schedules are hectic. So don’t hesitate to use the phone to verify the guest list.

Consider reserving a block of rooms at a hotel near the reunion site. Many hotels will offer discounts for special events which require several rooms.

Check and double-check all arrangements. This is no time for surprises. Keep the family happy by making sure rooms are ready on time, food is served promptly, and accommodations are comfortable.

Make your family reunion memorable. Take plenty of photos. Create a scrapbook. Shoot a video. Share old albums. Have a souvenir t-shirt printed. Post a bulletin-board sized family tree and ask members to fill in any missing blanks. Collect recipes and create a family recipe book. Present awards to the family members who are oldest, youngest, and who have traveled farthest.

Create a family Web site. Many sites on the web allow you to do this for free in order to help with reunion planning.