Custom Reunion

It’s only March and the temps are heating up already. Of course, family reunions are mainly held during warm seasons - and that can cause issues with food safety and preservation. Nobody enjoys foods that have been spoiled in the sunshine - yuck!

For that reason, here are some easy food preservation tips to help everyone have a healthy and happy family reunion:

•  It is not always possible to tell if food is healthy for consumption by sight and smell alone.
• It only has to be a minimum of forty degrees Fahrenheit in order for harmful bacteria to begin multiplying.
• Keep your c old foods chilled and your hot foods warmed.
•  Never allow your chilled foods to sit un-chilled for more than 2 hours.
•  Once foods are served, you need to get them refrigerated, especially in hot weather.

More healthy and helpful food preservation tips for your family reunion!

•  Always keep your beverages separated from your foods. This is because the coolers with beverages inside will be opened more often than the food containers. Opening lets the chilled air escape and heated air in.
•  If you are grilling out, remove only as much meat as you can cook at one time from the meat cooler. Allow the rest to stay chilling until you can make use of it.
•  When you are going to serve a meat-containing pasta salad, be sure that all ingredients are kept nice and cold before ever combining them, especially chicken.
•  Keep cleaning as you go. Wash your hands. Wash your utensils. Wash your cooking area down. Wash the dishes. Wash the countertops repetitively. Wash, wash, wash!
•  When you are transferring marinated meats, place them on their own freshly-washed plate or platter.

Keep reading to learn how to keep your family reunion healthy and safe from bacteria!

•  Do not reuse platters or plates that have held raw meats.
•  Keep some handy wet wipes, the antibacterial type, around at strategic locations. They are far superior to dry napkins.
•  Keep loads and loads of ice on hand. Plan and prepare for this. Ice keeps people cool - and bacteria too. Make sure that you have a well-stocked ice stash. You just can’t have too much!
•  Bring along plenty of aluminum foil for your heated items. The foil will help them stay warm longer while they are transported back to their resting spots.
•  If you are hosting a potluck-style family reunion, then make sure to forward a copy of these tips to all attendees. Make sure everyone does his or her part to protect the rest.

The food is the central theme to any family reunion. Old and new family recipes surface to delight the taste buds of all. Keep it clean and safe with proper food preservation practices and enjoy!

Image by: Besighyawn

• Base the hunt on a selected theme. You can incorporate elements of tropical islands, pirates and ships in a more traditional sense. Or, you can choose something non-traditional like an Alice In Wonderland adventure. There are no rules - just have fun!
• Allow your family members to explore the history of the clan as they try to discern the locations of the treasures. Base the clues on family facts that will help everyone to learn about everyone else. Try to make the clues obscure and bring out interesting facts about relatives that are sure to be remembered.
• Bring the family together by assigning random teams to locate the treasures. The whole point is to get to know each other - right? You don’t want everyone just sticking together in the small groups that they arrived with. Encourage random team efforts to remind all that this family is one big team that acts together!
• Planning is very important. Spend ample time on the telephone with various family members before the reunion. Uncover little known and interesting family facts to base your treasure hunt clues on. Especially spend time talking with the family seniors. This will help everyone to remember their heritage as the years pass.
• Remember that the actual “treasures” do not have to be extravagant. The fun is in the hunt! The more small treasures that you hide and leave clues for - the more fun for all. Include a lot of small treasures to give everyone a chance to at least uncover something.
• Make sure to place treasures for the young - and the elderly. Everyone likes to find treasure! Encourage all participants (in private) to not touch certain treasures - leave them for the children and the seniors.
• You can entice your treasure hunting family members further with “gold” coins that are available in almost every toy store. These types of inexpensive props will go a long way towards setting the proper mood and making the hunt real - especially in the minds of the children.
• Plant a “Main Treasure” somewhere that is actually very challenging to uncover. It could be a true bounty of actual cash! If everyone contributes just a dollar or so, the loot can be quite pleasing to discover.
• Smaller treasures along the way to the main loot can consist of items like classic family recipes, reprinted traditional photos, small gifts and any other fitting items.
• Keep your family pumped-up for weeks in advance by emailing them little hints to the clues that will be presented in the treasure hunt. By the time they arrive, they will be bursting with energy to begin the hunt - even if they try to act cool about it!

Remember that the true treasure in any family reunion treasure hunt is the togetherness that is created. The whole purpose is to get to know those family members that you never have - and to instill a general base of family knowledge in all participants. Even if there are members that will not be seen until next year’s reunion, they will be left with a sense of belonging and love that cannot be shaken.

Happy Treasure Hunting!

Image Credit: WhiteAfrican

Having a family reunion takes time, commitment, and planning. The ideal tip for planning a family reunion starts with forming a committee of dedicated family members. Here we give some ideas that can add a special touch to your family reunions. Some of these ideas can be spontaneously done at a reunion while others need meticulous planning and lot of hard work to implement.

Here are some of the best family reunion ideas:

Family reunion invitation idea: It is always nice to plan for a neat, personalized invitation for family reunion. Go for the innovative cards with the best design. Better still, make some snappy, zany invitations yourself. You can even get the younger ones involved in decorating them This is a great way to squeeze out some more family fun time.

The Welcome address idea: It is a nice idea to kick off your reunion with a special welcome address. If you have a good speaker in the family, your job is done. The point is the speaker should welcome each and every guest and also give a general overview of the programme agenda while also thanking the people for attending.

Family reunion party idea: The family members can all could go out to a restaurant or have some special family recipe cooked at home. You can create a family recipe book that includes favorite recipe of each member of the family. You can collect these recipes before hand and give out he cookbook at the reunion or you can collect them at the reunion and mail out the books at a later date.

Family reunion t-shirt idea: Having your own customized family reunion t-shirt is a great way to enjoy the celebration. Everyone could contribute in collecting the needed funds, suggestions for the colors and designs and so on. You can buy bulk t-shirts and thermal transfer paper to put your custom family reunion design on a t-shirt.

Creative family reunion fun ideas: Some of the most fun ideas includes scrapbooks, nametags and a guest book. Make sure to have a guest book for family members to sign when they arrive. As the reunion is in the closing stages, ask family members to write or enter a remark about any special moments at the reunion. Print namebadges for every attendee, if you add the definition or meaning of the family members name it will be even better. Hand out a programme as people walk in. And Scrapbooking is another hot idea for family fun.   After your family reunion is over, have the most creative person in the family put together a scrapbook of the reunion. Collect these books from each reunion, and have them available for laughs at future reunions.

Family history fun: Sharing anecdotes and interesting history of the family is a great way to get the family reunion rocking. You can even develop a theme based on the favorite items of your family members. Costumes and food aligned to the family history or interests are great way to have fun with family history.

While family reunions are all about fun, more serious work precedes the actual event. Things like planning in advance for dates, times, invitations, locations, travel, lodging, facilities, food, mailing list, program and formats, communications, local transport, souvenirs and last but not least finances are all very critical to the success of the reunion.

Give special importance to the chosen facility and the food. Often this point is overlooked and members may feel that they were not taken care of properly. So select a place that is comfortable and convenient for all to attend. Ordering for the right type of food in right quantity is also important – so everyone is satisfied.

The more activities that you plan and the more attendees, the more it will cost to hold the event. Prepare a budget and monitor expenses carefully.  With careful planning and innovation you could all have innovative and affordable fun!

So you want to have a family reunion? This article will give you some great themes and ideas that are simple and easy to implement for your next great family reunion. It is an acknowledged fact that creating a theme for a family reunion is a great way to attract people and also ensure their meaningful participation. So go wild and throw a bash like none they have ever seen before!

You can let your imagination run riot when you plan your family reunion theme. Let the themes influence it all from the food, games, activities, invitations, dress, decorations and just about anything and everything else associated with this great event. It is more fun this way, more interactive and you’ll cherish every single moment of it.

Keeping up with the times, you can find infinite themes on the internet. Online family reunion theme sites make the task easier or so it seems. But here we give you some of the best themes ‘floating’ out there on the World Wide Web and some culled out from our own experiences. So go through them and enjoy!

Family reunion wedding anniversary themes: If you have a wedding anniversary in your family, it could be a great theme. We are not talking about the first anniversary that you have, but about the 25th or even 50th wedding anniversary! Now that calls for some celebration won’t you agree?  Your family reunion can throw the ‘young’ couple back to their golden period of the 1950s or 60s when they first met and got married. Celebrate this grand event with period dresses, special anniversary gifts, an anniversary couple dance, and anything else you can come up with. Anniversaries have endless possibilities so be sure to exploit it to the core and have fun!

Family reunion birthday themes: When was the last time Grandma blew out that birthday candle? It may have been what seems like eons ago, but your grandma would probably love to cut that birthday cake amidst her beloved grandchildren! Birthday themes are a great hit especially with young ones around who’ll love to watch or give a helping hand to grandpa or grandma by eating their great big birthday cake!

Family reunion fiesta themes: give your next family reunion a Mexican twist! Add some spice with everything Mexican all around –send Spanish invitations, wear sombreros and multicolored ponchos to add a real Mexican touch to your Mexican fiesta themed reunion. Don’t forget to order some authentic Mexican food or better still, make table reservations at the local Mexican restaurant. Don’t forget to invite the flamenco dancers!

Family reunion circus themes: Everyone loves the circus. The Big Top always symbolizes good natured family fun and mirth. Colorful balloons and other circus paraphernalia will complete your circus theme. Both the young and old will be delighted to watch few tricks or watch buffoons strut their stuff. A trained pet dog capable of doing some somersaults could double up as an exotic performer for your circus theme family reunion.

Family history reunion themes: A family history theme - though a bit more serious than ones discussed above, this one may be the most appropriate for a family reunion. It will let the new generations of the family learn more about those who came before. You can prepare food that your ancestors might have eaten to let your younger ones know about the food styles and traditions.  The old homestead in the Countryside where your ancestors once lived may be the perfect setting for a family history reunion theme. Decorate the venue with historical memorabilia from your family to complete this nostalgic theme.

Family reunion Hawaiian Luau themes: for some wet fun in the sun for your family reunion, try a Hawaiian Luau theme. You can include Hawaiian costumes, swimming and Hula dancing to make it a true tropical delight. Don’t forget to enjoy the pineapples and bring along your swimming trunks for some great fun in the swimming pool or at the beach!

Family reunion space themes: If your family swears by Isaac Asimov and other sci-fi stuff, choose a space theme for your family reunion. Intergalactic costumes, alien makeup and laser guns will complete the picture. But the danger of having too much of an “Extra-terrestrial’ theme is the kids may hijack the whole show – but what the heck the older ones can always join in. after all the idea is to have fun as a family is it not?

Family reunion safari themes: Taking the adventure theme further, if you are interested in wild life themes, then safari reunion would be ideal. Hawaiian shirts, Bermuda shorts, black socks and binoculars complete the picture. Instead of shot guns and rifles use digital cameras or Polaroids to shoot the fun!

Family reunion under the sea themes: Still not satisfied? Want to go deeper? Enter the deep blue sea for a true marine expedition. Have lot of blue light bulbs all over the place, drape nets and sea shells with star fish and jelly fish on the wall and order great sea-food to complete a true-blue under the sea theme!

Family reunion western themes: Perhaps the ‘Most Wanted” theme is the Wild West theme! Everyone loves to strut their stuff in cowboy dresses and wide brimmed Stetsons. Don’t forget to add false cacti, cattle skulls, and horseshoes to give a realistic touch to your western theme. Six shooters and duels under the sun are strictly optional!

Having a good family reunion theme serves as a great ice-breaker and sets the stage for great fun especially for long-lost relatives. You can even embark on a “Treasure Hunt” on your family reunion and hunt out some ‘rare gems’ or nuggets of information from your ancestors. Did I hear someone mention Treasure Island theme or is it just my imagination?

When researching family reunion statistics, there is not much information to help you get an idea of just how many families in America hold, attend or avoid their family reunions. Upon investigation a 2001 survey done by Bruskin research, a market research company, which may shed some light on data in regards to family reunions. Although, this particular survey was done 10 years ago, we can safely say, give or take a little for considering interest and economical standings, the data should be relatively accurate or at least a decent base statistic. Many families view family reunions as sacred events, which hold a large feeling of tradition for their families. They use the time to reunite with loved ones they haven’t seen in a while, as well as meet new kin they may have not met before. It is a time to reflect on ones family and look forward to the unity within the family as a whole.

So how many people each year in America have families who hold family reunions? According to the survey an astounding 62 percent of them said they would be attending a family reunion that particular year. When reviewing these family reunion statistics we can determine as a generalization that a little over half of the population will be attending family reunions, or attend family reunions on a regular basis, such as attending an annual event planned by their families.  Whether or not a person attends is based on many factors, the major factor being the distance away from the even the person resides. Basically, the further away a person lives from where the family reunion is being held, the less likely they will be in attending that particular event. It was shown in this survey that of the 62 percent of the survey takers who were going to attend their reunion around 65 percent of them lived within a short distance of the majority of their relatives (around 50 miles or less away).

In relation to the distance determining whether or not someone would attend their family reunion, 56 percent of the people who lived in excess of 300 miles from the events location stated they would attempt to show up at the event. All in all, the majority of the people who attend live closer by and those that live farther away either attempt to make it, or don’t make it to their family reunions at all. So location when planning a family reunion can be very important to whether or not you have a small intimate gathering or a huge turnout. This is of course, only taking into consideration the people who honestly answered the survey conducted by Bruskin Research, and we do not know how many people were surveyed so these statistics may be very biased and diluted in regards to family reunion statistics.

When it comes to family reunion statistics another interesting topic is how many people enjoy the thought of attending a family reunion. ¾ of the people surveyed said they enjoy attending family reunions, of these the majority of them were older adults, the older the adults got, the more they became interested in attending family reunions. People older than 65 years old enjoy attending family reunions more so than younger adults between the ages of 18 to 24 with an astounding 75 percent of the older adults stating they look forward to attending their family reunions. This may be because of a need to create memories with their relatives before they pass on, and pass down the family stories to a younger generation to continue on the tradition. As this data shows, location is key when planning a family reunion, and if you want more people to enjoy the event, you will need a wide range of activities planned for all age ranges.

What about locations? Family reunion statistics provided in the Bruskin Research survey shows that over 32 percent of families hold their reunions in a recreational park whereas 22 percent prefer a restaurant/banquet hall atmosphere. 18 percent of family reunions were being held at resort or scenic locations and a mere 14 percent consider major cities of interest such as Washington D.C. or New York City for their family reunions, because these are places their family members showed interest in visiting as a group. With this information, how do you feel about family reunions? If a family reunion was being held, would you attend?

Family reunion songs add soul to the get together

Summer is the ideal time for annual family reunions.  The weather remains predictable, it is vacation time for kids and parents too look forward to schedule their holidays during this time. This is the time to spend on building relationships with your family and friends.  A family reunion is for everyone in the family from toddlers to seventy year olds, from teenagers grandkids to elderly aunts. What better day to bring out that old family reunion song? This is the right occasion to celebrate togetherness by singing your very own family reunion song. And if you don’t yet have one then make one up!

What Type of Reunion Should We Have?

The simplest way to host a reunion is to throw a picnic or barbecue at a family home or at a nearby park. During this memorable occasion, family reunion songs will help revive fond memories of events that have occurred in the past. Okay, now that we have sung enough praises about family reunion songs, how do we get hold of some reliable good songs with great lyrics and simple tunes? Songs that everyone will feel compelled to sing to?

The most obvious answer is to look at online stores for CDs and DVDs. Did you know that there are as many as 2000 different types of family reunion songs? Many of them are available at great prices online.  Some of the popular songs are given below:

• Alligator.
• Brownie smile song.
• Campfire song.
• Clap fire song.
• Crazy weather.
• For the beauty of earth.

Choose from a collection of family reunion songs with meaningful lyrics. There are different types of collections such as:

• Memorable songs
• Old songs
• New songs
• Devotional songs
• Latest hits

When you play and listen to these great collections, you will find Grandpa and Grandma transported back to the good old days and you will see old aunt Martha getting down with it! Don’t be surprised if they suddenly decide to do an impromptu dance and hit the dance floor in droves! That’s the idea: family reunion songs can be great way to strike at some charming chords of years gone by. Many times families just like to jam together with old tunes or compose new tunes with lyrics written with special ideas known only to the family members. A camp fire, some light music on the guitar played by dad or by your son under the moonlit sky is a perfect setting that takes you right to the roots of your family.

Sometimes, you might have wondered why Dad always hums the tune when he sits alone, but when you meet the older generation of your family who knows the exact song then you’ll be delighted to discover the true meaning of Dad’s occasional whistling. Family song is very personal and very special, only you know the true essence and meaning of the song so enjoy every moment and savor each word and its meaning. Each family song has its own unique identity – preserve it.

You can also help by investigating and coming up with some great collections to be played at your family reunion. You may perhaps even compose a special number and dedicate it to togetherness and family bonding. The possibilities are truly limitless So enjoy every moment of the family reunion by selecting songs of your choice and have fun!

Summer is family reunion time! Family reunions will be more meaningful and memorable with some personalized gifts. Customized family reunion t-shirts are the best idea to celebrate your family reunion. You can now make your own family reunion t-shirts. It is simple and very easy.  If you have an artistic family member who could create a design for your reunion t-shirts, then your task of finding the best design for your reunion t-shirts is already almost complete!

You can buy plain white cotton t-shirts in bulk and save massive amounts of cash. Once you have them paid for and budgeted for it is time to figure out the cost of the transfer paper and then start your designing work. If you have the design already done, it is a good idea to circulate the draft design with the attendees and relatives who could perhaps give some suggestions for improvement. Once everyone agrees on a design you are ready to go for printing. But you still need to buy thermal transfer paper, on which you can print designs, and then iron them onto each t-shirt. If all of this sounds to time consuming and confusing then you can choose to simply forget all this hard work and just go online and find the best design you like, customize it and buy it for your shirts.

No matter which way you decide to go you still need to determine the number of tees that you will need. Take a head count to be sure and then order a few extra t-shirts.  Go for light colors like white or yellow that will be pleasant and comfortable even in the summer heat. Keep in mind that light colors will make your designs stand out more. Therefore, purchasing t-shirts in a uniform color makes better sense and makes everyone happy than multiple colors and different designs. This way there will be no fighting over the shirts!

Photographs are always a great bet for family reunion t-shirts. The topmost choice would be a photo of the oldest family member, or perhaps a picture of the family homestead where your grandparents raised their children.  Perhaps the best idea for family reunion t-shirts deign is to provide loads of t-shirts and several tubes of fabric paints and color markers.  Motivate family members to let lose their creativity and design their own special family reunion t-shirt! You will be surprised at the energy levels and creativity that is sure to be displayed. They will also take pride in a design that they created together! And then everyone can sign each other shirt like a yearbook!

Buying t-shirts in bulk directly from the retail stores or online will put you in line for great discounts and offers. Usually it takes about 2 weeks to customize a family reunion t-shirt. So give that much time for your delivery and plan accordingly. And whatever you do, don’t forget to put the date and location on the family reunion shirts. Family reunion t-shirts not only add color to your celebration but they also provide much needed comfort and creative expression of togetherness. So, get ready to buy or design your own family reunion shirts for that perfect family reunion party!

First and foremost when searching for sites such as retreats, resorts, cabins and various places to hold family reunions, you should of course make sure the particular places you are looking at are family friendly. Typically family reunions are large get-togethers of extended family members. So you would also want to make sure each particular place caters to large groups, places that handle company picnics, conventions and/or have group rates are your best bet.

Making sure retreats, resorts, cabins, and places for family reunions allow a wide age range is also a very important concept to think about when reserving the place to hold your next family reunion. Many family reunions consist of family members whom may haven’t seen each other in a very long time. Family members may have gotten married, or even had children, so keep that in mind when selecting a place, they must be kid friendly. They must provide accommodations for all age ranges, such as playgrounds for the kids to play on, or eating areas that can fit large groups of people.

When comparing retreats, resorts, cabins, and places to hold your family reunion, you will want to compare each options prices as well as accommodations. Do they have a group rate where, the more people who show up the lower the cost per head?  Is it a flat rate fee for a day rental; or do you get more discounts if you place your reservation in advance or for an extended period of time such as an entire weekend or even week?  If you are planning on having the event catered by the resort, cabin or other places, do they charge per person? If this is the case, you may have to consider having your relatives RSVP to your invitation to assure there will be enough refreshments for everyone.

When planning your family reunion and choosing resorts, cabins, or any other places such as camp sites, you need to take into consideration conveniences, such as If it’s going to be a weekend even, you will want to know if they have bathing facilities, or grocery facilities nearby. Many of your local parks and recreations departments as well as the chamber of commerce in the desired area can provide you with pamphlets, and tips on choosing the perfect place to have your next family reunion.

Parking may be another issue when looking at places for your next family reunion. Whether it is a resort, cabins or other such place, is parking limited? Is parking free at these places? What about handicapped parking? Are there accommodations for the less healthy members of your family to be able to enjoy the festivities? You may also consider doing a family carpooling to reduce cost if the place of interest charges for parking, reducing the costs whenever possible. These are just a few things to think about when planning your next family reunion. What type of place would be of most interest to your respective family? A family poll may be a good thing to pass about to get some ideas of what type of place your family would like to gather in for the reunion.

Family reunions are the just time to bring out inner poet! Family reunion poems are compositions that convey your emotions and experiences in a poetic way. There are different family poems to celebrate unity, love and life itself. A family reunion is a time to celebrate togetherness and love within the family so what better way to express these tender sentiments than through poems?

Family reunions are also the times when elders sit with younger relatives to pass on nuggets of history from generations gone by. It is a time to tell stories of another era that will inspire the modern generation and introduce new values that are sure to enrich life. Poems, especially family reunion poems, are the perfect way to express these cultural and rich family values and traditions.

Many famous poets have written songs of praise about family. Books are a great source of inspiration too. You could find books and songs on almost any topic related to family life.  Family reunion poems are a token of love and affection to be shared within a close knit large family. Many reunion poems are targeted at younger children who enjoy listening to a great poem and who would not as easily soak up family history in any other way.

There are many websites that provide you with excellent examples of family reunion poems. You could compare the prices and select one that suits your purpose. You can even customize the poem by adding your own unique family secret or anecdote. You can also submit your very own family poem for the whole world to see and use themselves!

Typical family reunion poem themes are sentimental, beautiful, personal, emotional and tuned to the occasion. The poem can be a tribute to the oldest person of the family or celebration of a newborn baby in the family. The idea is that it should appeal to the entire family cutting across all age groups and gender. Don’t forget family poems are not about rhyme and meter but fun and frolic so give a free hand to your muse and let your imagination do what it does best!

The ideas used in writing family reunion poems can be collected from within the family itself. The poems can be based on the achievement of an individual member in the family, about fun and games, about pet animals, grandchildren, grandfather, grandmother, holiday, life, memories, friendship etc. You can even turn the invitation into a family poem if you would like. What a great way to start off the reunion.

Perhaps the best family poems are the ones that strike a chord immediately with your family members. They should be able to ‘connect’ with the soul of the poem. So sprinkle your poems with lot of minute details that will mean a lot to your family. Family poems are rather special and very personal so it is best to create one on your own. Of course it is lot simpler to just read out some popular family poems at a family gathering by the fireside. But if you really want the memories to last, then start collecting pearls of wisdom from your gran parents (who else?!) and string them together with tender love and care and present it as one beautiful garland of verse!

If you are smitten by the muse, start wielding your pen like a Shakespearean quill and pen few rhymes with a reason for this family reunion season!