What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a family reunion? Do you think of a boring afternoon, listening to the old folks reminisce about the good old days? Or maybe you think of meeting up with distant cousins you have never met and have nothing in common with. A family reunion doesn’t have to be something that everyone dreads! With a little planning you can have a fabulous reunion that all your relatives will be talking about for years to come.
Set a Date for Your Family Reunion – EARLY!
Many people drag their feet when it comes to setting the date for their family reunion. They want to make sure that everyone can come so they try to work with every families schedule. This is a good thought, but you will have a major headache if you try to work around everything! Set a date early and have everyone mark their calendars. If family members have enough notice they will find a way to be there.
The best plan for scheduling your family reunion is to have it the same time every year. If your family knows your reunion is always held the third week in June they will plan on it. This type of scheduling makes planning summer easier for families plus you will have a bigger turnout at your reunion!
Delegate, Delegate!
If you want your family reunion to be a great success and you want to enjoy it with everyone else, delegate planning tasks to other family members. Assign each family group a major job like planning games, organizing a program, etc. For instance, maybe you want to do a service project as part of your reunion. Have one family group select a charity or person who could benefit from your help. Then have someone within that group can coordinate what you will do, for example clean up a park or tie quilts for a shelter. Someone else can make sure you have the supplies you need, and so on. This way that family group is in charge of one major part of the family reunion. Do the same with other aspects of your reunion as well.
Family Reunion Food!
Nothing is better than sitting around with good company and good food! But what do you feed all those people who are coming to your family reunion? Some people choose to have each family bring their own picnic lunch if they are hosting a family reunion that is just one afternoon. But for those who are planning a reunion that will last several days, you will want to have several meals that include everyone.
If you are camping, one of the best ways to cook is using Dutch ovens. In fact, you could have a Dutch oven cook-off as one of your activities. This would be a fun way to sample various styles of Dutch oven cooking enjoy a little friendly competition within the family!
You could also assign each family group cooking days, or to really mix it up draw names out of a hat and assign people to cook meals with relatives they may have not seen for a while. This is a great way to get to know each other better.
With so many family members living hundreds and even thousands of miles apart, a family reunion is a great way to reconnect. With a little planning and delegation, your next reunion will be one to remember!
Jamie is a mother of three who enjoys fitness and the outdoors. She enjoys getting out her dutch oven cookware [http://www.portablebutanestove.org/dutch-oven-cookware/] to make a great meal while they are camping. She enjoys teaching others how to use their outdoor gas and portable butane stoves [http://www.portablebutanestove.org] so they can experience the joy of outdoor cooking as well!
