Planning your Family Reunion

All those people together in one place, the Aunt who smells like menthol, the Uncle who is always chomping on a cigar or the cousin who whines because she isn’t getting her way. Does any of this sound familiar? If it does then you know it is that time of year again when you are going to your family reunion. But maybe you are the one who gets to plan it and figure out where it is going to be and who to invite.

If you are responsible for putting the reunion together then you will have a fun time getting every to get along long enough to plan the party. You can choose a theme for the party, figure out where you should have it at and who should you invite. Remember if you don’t invite Great Aunt Trudy then you will hear about it for the next 20 years.

The theme of the party can be anything or nothing. You can make it lively or conservative, it just matters what suits your family best. If they are a wild and crazy bunch then you will want to have a wild party, like a luau or a tiki party or even a wild animal theme, but if they are a calm and staid group them you will want to through a conservative party that just has a few decorations and doesn’t have a girl jumping out of a cake. The best thing to do is to keep it simple, because you will probably be the one decorating the room and cleaning up afterwards.

Figuring out where to have the reunion can be the most difficult decision you make for the party. First you need to figure out what town you are going to have it in, because most families have scattered around the countryside and don’t live close. Some families choose to have it in a different state every year while some have it in the same place each time. It is what suits your family the best. Once you decide on the town you are going to have it in, the next thing to decide is where in the town you are going to hold it. There are a few options for this; you can have it at a house of someone who lives in the town, a convention hall, church or community center. There are definitely more possibilities but you need to look at the area you are at to determine which place best suits your needs.

You have figured out the theme and where you are going to have the party, the next step is to figure out who you are going to invite. The safest bet here is to invite all of the family and let people know that if you forgot someone then have them invite the person. You don’t want hurt feelings in the family and that is what you would have if you didn’t invite everyone. Even if Uncle Chuck drives you nuts you still need to invite him, just avoid him if you can.

The final thing you need to worry about is the food and drinks. You can have the party catered and not have to worry about food. But the best option in my opinion is to have a pot luck. Let everyone bring a dish, you will get to taste foods you wouldn’t normally try and it is cheaper than having the party catered. It also helps people to feel involved with the planning of the party. You will get duplicate gifts, but enjoy and you will have fun.

Family reunions can be fun or a chore. It is all in what you make of it. So relax and enjoy the party. If you are having fun then normally everyone else is also.

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