Planning Family Reunion Activities

Often times we collect so much junk lying around the house, it's crazy. So, when planning family reunion festivities, why not ask each family member to bring one special item to auction or raffle off? Perhaps it's an antique piece of furniture that's just been collecting dust, a piece of old jewelry, a knick-knack, baked goods or an article of clothing that no longer fits. The proceeds can then go toward organizing future family reunions, which will take some of the stress off the family reunion planner. With a little creativity, your family reunion can be the best it's ever been.

Karaoke is another classic idea for family reunion fun and inter-generational bonding. There are many ways to facilitate a bar-style karaoke event. If one of your family's youngsters has a Playstation 3, Wii or Xbox, then they can hook up the Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Sing Star or Karaoke Revolution Party game. Another option is to rent a bona fide karaoke machine for the day. For instance, www.nationwidekaraoke.com will rent you a system with two microphones and over 1,000 songs for just $49/weekend. However, if you think you may be using this karaoke machine again to create future family reunion memories, then you may want to simply buy one for $79 to $200. Some top-selling models at www.amazon.com include the Memorex Sing Stand, the Singing Machine SMG-137, the Singing Machine STVG-535 and the Singing Machine STVG-999 Pedestal Karaoke Machine. You can be sure there will be lots of laughs once your family members begin to belt out their favorite hit songs!

Some families planning family reunion events like to host a little awards ceremony. This can be a simple idea, where certificates or trophies are presented or it can be pretty elaborate to rival the big awards shows. For instance, you could write up little speeches about each award and create your own video to go along with the awards. The family reunion planner host might say, "This next award goes out to the person who traveled the furthest. And our nominees are... Grandma Rose, who came all the way from Santa Monica, California, Uncle Charlie who comes to us from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Cousin Victor from Seattle, Washington." Up on the video screen would show a picture of all three family members, along with their locations. Then, the announcer may continue: "And the winner is... Grandma Rose, who traveled a total of 278 miles to be here today! Grandma Rose, come on up to receive your award!" The winning recipient can then give a funny acceptance speech to entertain the crowd. Other awards could go out to the oldest family member, the youngest family member, the most musically inclined, the most melodramatic, the funniest or the newest family member.

Planning family reunion events should be about creating and preserving memories for years to come. Therefore, the "Family History Hot Seat" is the perfect addition to any family gathering. You can incorporate the hot seat in with other games. For example, whenever someone loses or gets eliminated from game play, you can send them over to "the hot seat," which is a chair off to the side, next to a video camera and designated interviewer. The interviewer may then ask the family member questions. Where did you attend eighth grade, and what is a fond memory from that year? How did you and your spouse first meet? Tell us about something you broke or needed stitches for. What is a fond childhood memory you have of your grandparents? List all the places you lived in your life and tell us an interesting story about each one of those locations. For more inspirational fodder, visit the "Memory Grabber" family reunion website at www.familyhistoryproducts.com/mg2008.html.

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