Planning

Most of us don't really consider our family get togethers as "events".  Rather, we just think of it as something that we do.  Whether it's Sunday dinners, or the occasional Saturday barbecue, chances are you planned the food as you were walking through the grocery store, and haven't really put any thought into what you will "do" during your gathering.  But with only a little effort, these simple get togethers can be memorable, and just a little more fun.  It doesn't take much, but you may find that if you mix it up just a little, your gatherings will occur a little more frequently, last a little longer, and have more moments that make it into your album.  This section is intended really to remind everyone that even your simple get togethers can be "events" and also to provide a forum for each of us to share the ideas we have had to make our family gatherings a little more fun.

Planning: Just the Family Party

• Nope, we're not going to create a checklist, or add lots of work for this "event".  Because if your Simple Family Gathering were a lot of planning and preparation, it wouldn't be "simple" and it wouldn't occur as frequently!  With our busy schedules, we don't tend to take on additional effort if we don't have to!  But there are a few little things that you can consider when planning this event.
  
  
• Potluck - Select a little "theme"   and ask everyone to participate.  This spreads the effort and cost around even if these events are usually at your house!  Get a little silly and get people to be a little creative and fun.
• Food that has to be eaten with fingers
• Ethnic foods
• Foods that are a specific color (Green is fun for St. Patrick's Day!)
• Food that starts with a specific letter
  
  
• Try a new drink and plan your menu around it!
• I did this!  My family hadn't tried Mojitos, so for our first "summer" get together, we set up a Mojito bar and planned our meal around our drinks! 
  
  
• Plan a "picture" day - let everyone know that you are taking family pics for the year - nothing posed or formal.  Just a get together where everyone dresses up a little and plans on taking fun pictures with everyone.  You can get a little silly with this one!
  
  
• I did this!  When I was 9 months pregnant (Christmastime) everyone was taking a ton of pictures for the holiday.  There I was, looking like a beached whale in each and every one of them.  So, to retaliate, I decided that EVERYONE should have a picture looking like me!  We blew up balloons and took a group picture with everyone's balloon tucked in their shirt.  By the time we were done with the "preparation" pictures and the actual group picture, then the candid shots of everyone getting goofy, we were laughing so hard I thought I'd go into labor right there!
  
• Travel Theme - if someone has recently traveled and going to have a ton of pictures to share, plan your evening around that country.  Have food and drinks inspired from that region while you sit and share pictures and stories about your travels. 

• It's not hard to come up with something that makes your get together just a little different.  You don't have to do something every time, but mixing it up once in a while will keep your gatherings fun and interesting. 

Activities

• It's easy to run out of things to do when you haven't planned.  Just last night we got together with my brother and sister-in-law, but because it was NFL Draft (a major holiday for my husband) our quartet turned into a trio.  And most of our games require 4.  I hadn't planned, so we had to scramble to find something fun to do.  Think about how many people you will have, how many will participate in what you are doing, and have a couple of alternatives.  We're a game family so my game closet is stocked, what does your family do? Just the Family Party
• See our General Guidance section: Party fun for Grown-Ups.

• Don't forget the kids!  Inevitably, family gatherings will end up with children, which can definitely put a damper on grown-up activities.  But I've found that if I plan something that includes the kids for a while, then they are willing to have a kids only activity that allows us adults to hang out in peace.  Kids don't want to feel left out - so make sure they don't and you will end up with less interruptions in the grow-up space. 
  
  
• Consider an indoor or outdoor activity that everyone can take part in - this way the kids will feel involved and get some quality time with the extended family/friends.  You will be surprised how easy this is!  If you can, get everyone outside - the efforts can get a little louder, a little more active, and all the more fun.  But if the weather or venue isn't conducive, there are a lot of activities that are fun for kids and adults alike inside as well.  Just the Family Party
  
  
• I Did This!  I was preparing my holiday cookies so decided to make an activity out of it.  I had everything out for cut out cookies and ginger bread men.  Everyone had so much fun cutting out and decorating their cookies!      Just the Family Party
  
  
• I Did This!  In the beginning of the summer I bought several sets of water guns that were easy to fill and use.  We got everyone together and put them in an obvious space.  Before long, the adults were actually discovering the water guns before the kids!  By the time the all out water fight was over everyone, kids and adults, were soaked and out of breath from a combination of their efforts and their laughter!  Just the Family Party
  
  
• I Did This!  Last fall on a Sunday afternoon we had some family over and my husband had been working in the yard before hand.  His efforts continued when my brother arrived - specifically, there was a great deal of fun with the leaf blower.  There was a HUGE pile of leaves that the kids (and adults) had fun jumping in.  I would never have thought that yard work would become entertainment for everyone!
  
  
• I Did This!  When adults are given the opportunity to act like kids, usually they take it!  Our family have spent time pitching around the football, or playing hide and seek with the kids.  The competition between the adults made this so much fun.   Everything was in good fun, so the whole group had a blast

• Once you've had group fun, then it's fair game to have an activity set up for the kids so that the grown-ups can enjoy time together as well.  Set up a movie night in another space, or a game space if the kids are old enough.  Get a new video game everyone can share, or have an arts and crafts table.  Just have something that will keep them occupied, have snacks in the space, and take turns checking in (assuming we aren't talking about smaller children). 

My Family is Nuts

This section is meant to make those of us who think our own families are nuts feel better by reading stories from OTHER readers that make our stories seem normal.  For some, the family gathering is fun and something to be looked forward to, for others, it's just another opportunity for Aunt Janice to get juiced up and discuss her latest PAP Smear.  It's just a light-hearted forum to anonymously share our embarrassing moments - the ones where you wanted to laugh out loud at the time, but had to keep your cool and wait to laugh until later.  YOU know what I'm talking about.  Tell us about your moments so that we'll know that our family may be nuts, but apparently that's normal! Just the Family Party

• My family is nuts… My husband is a wonderful man.  Kind, loving, a great dad, but he comes from a small family where they didn't have a gaggle of people together for holidays.  Needless to say, my family is a bit bigger, and can be overwhelming to my hubby.  (Note, with time he's gotten MUCH better!)  But during one of our FIRST family Christmases (there were about 20 people) we were all set to play a game that he was unfamiliar with, but we'd all been playing since I was little.  Well, about 6 people at once were trying to give him instructions, and he finally got so overwhelmed that he yelled "Would everyone Shut Up, I can't understand ANY of you!"  It got VERY quiet, and very awkward, and to this day he is living down that moment!