Product Description

Today more than ever, American families are scattered to the wind. Yet perhaps for this very reason, families have also been getting together for reunions in unprecedented numbers. Planning a reunion is a pleasurable but complicated undertaking that requires foresight and planning, and here to assist is Family Reuinion, an indispensable guide and sourcebook that shows how to organize and conduct four basic reunions: a Backyard Barbecue for siblings and cousins, a Homecoming Weekend, an Extended Family Reunion, and a Family Camp, which typically lasts a week and gathers up to 100 participants. Accessible and packed with ideas and information, the book shows how to create a workable timetable (18 months before a large reunion is not too soon to start planning), organize a committee, and set up a fund for expenses (and to help less-well-off members attend). There are chapters on location, including little-known church camps and family resorts; on scheduling activities for kids and adults, day and evening; on genealogy; on recording the event; and even on etiquette, including how to handle black sheep, in-laws, and stepchildren. With case studies of real-life reunions and duotone photographs throughout, this is the book that helps us connect.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #615619 in Books
• Published on: 1998-06-03
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .75" h x 6.04" w x 9.06" l, 1.01 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 280 pages

From Amazon.com
Our families define us, and hence we feel the periodic need to reconnect even (or especially) with those most distant from us. This is no trivial undertaking, though, especially for a typically far-flung American clan. Help for the harried has arrived in the form of Family Reunion, a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to planning and staging a gathering to remember.

Author Jennifer Crichton knows what she's talking about, having helped organize her own 125-member reunion. Whether your family has hundreds of people or only a dozen, her advice is clear and always helpful. Topics covered include record keeping, choosing a site, entertaining kids of all ages, and etiquette ("Thou shalt orchestrate spontaneous praise unto the reunion organizer"), as well as the dynamics and logistics necessary when herding a large group of people. Peppered with examples from American families large and small, Family Reunion makes reunion organizing manageable, rewarding, and even fun. See you next year! --Rob Lightner

Family Fun Magazine
"... a great resource full of tips on planning a memorable reunion..."

From the Back Cover
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO PLAN UNFORGETTABLE GET-TOGETHERS "The first generation tries to preserve, the second generation tries to forget, and the third generation tries to remember," writes Ted Solotaroff of the urge to connect with family, to honor the past and celebrate continuity in a quintessential American ritual--the Family Reunion. FAMILY REUNION includes: --Finding the Elusive Perfect Site --Cooking for the Hordes: Four Menus --People Power: The Volunteers --Great Intergenerational Games --Memory Night: Family Stories --Reunion Etiquette --Capturing the Event Maybe your family shares the same area code, or maybe they are scattered from coast to coast. When the urge comes to reunite them, only one thing counts-planning. This indispensable book is an informative, idea-packed guide to every phase of having a reunion. It is also something more. By combining a general's logistical skills with a psychologist's insight into family dynamics, with a camp counselor's love for fun and games, and with a genealogist's passion for the past, Jennifer Crichton has written a book that not only assists in every step of the way, but inspires too.