How to Prepare Your Home for a Big Family Reunion

Family reunions are important for any family, no matter how big or small it is. It brings people together and it ensures that the bonds between family members stay strong. The importance of reunions rises if the family is scattered across the country, continent, or even the world. In those cases especially, the event needs to be carefully planned and organized in a way that allows everyone to attend and have a nice time. If your favourite cousin misses a reunion, and the next one is in a year’s time, they do miss a lot. Because of that, planning a family reunion can be extremely stressful, so here are some suggestions to help you stay on track.

Plan for the Budget

The first thing to consider is the budget – not only yours, but everybody else’s as well. Reunions cost a lot, from the accommodations to the travel expenses and food. If you are unaware of the financial situation of any family member, try to gain some info before you organize the reunion. A simple way is to choose several options, and then have the family vote on the best one.

Prepare in Advance

One of the most important things about family reunions is advance notice. Announce the event at least 6 months before it actually takes place. This will give everyone enough time to make all the necessary arrangements, so the highest possible number will attend. It also gives people time to save up some cash if they need to. If there are many children in your family, choose a children-friendly location. Try to account for as many things as you can at the very start of preparations, and you’ll have fewer problems down the road.

Find Comfortable Accommodations

Accommodations depend on many factors. If you need a more budget-friendly alternative, you may want to consider a campsite. If there aren’t many kids to entertain, your family may want a bit of luxury, so a nice hotel could be a good idea. If you want to organize the reunion at your home, you need to prepare well for it. Make sure there are enough beds for everybody and find help if you need to. There are good services for house cleaning in Sydney, so you may want to make use of them in these circumstances. Chances are you won’t have the time for cleaning, so you should avoid spreading yourself too thin – or the reunion will turn into a nightmare.

Share the Burden

Don’t try to do everything by yourself. You’ll be stressed out and the anxiety will turn into resentment sooner than you’d think. Therefore, don’t agree to do everything single-handedly. If you’re donating your home to the cause, have someone else think about the food and the cleaning. If you’re organizing accommodations, somebody else should take care of the activities. Try to include even the youngest ones if there is any way of doing it. Find some small chores kids can help with.

Be Flexible

Even the best plans can fail. Your beach day can turn into a thunderstorm, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun. Relax and improvise when you need to. Remember that a family reunion isn’t just a list of activities to go through – it’s about spending time with your loved ones. So even if the weather turns into a horrible wet mess or there is another kind of problem that prevents you from going through with your plans, don’t fret too much. Organize a movie night or a board games night instead, and enjoy!

Family reunions can be very stressful for the person organizing them, but the hard work pays off. Don’t bite more than you can chew, and you’ll be able to relax and enjoy your time with the family.