Looking to keep the the family reunion magic alive after the get together? Check out these ten creative ways to stay in touch with family after the family reunion!
1. Share Family History Stories and Research
Sitting around the dinner table at a reunion and sharing family history stories is often one of the most unforgettable aspects of spending time together. When you’re together in-person, those family stories and memories really start to flow — especially as you peruse photo books or make a family recipe together.
Younger members of the family listen in earnest to hear a tale of grandpa working at the railroad, or Aunt Bella’s unforgettable trip to France in the 70s. And you can’t leave out Mom and Dad’s epic adventure hitching a ride to Woodstock in 1969!
Shared history taps into your common heritage and foundation as a family and fosters deep connection. A meaningful way to keep the family connection strong in between reunions is to continue to share family stories and research family history.
For example, share a unique family story through your Reunacy Message Board, or a new piece of information from a census you just uncovered.
It’s always fun to re-discover old photos and share those too!!
2. Share New or Family-Favorite Recipes
Food is the language of love in many families! While nothing compares to enjoying delicious meals together at a reunion, sharing new recipes or preserving family-favorite recipes is an easy way to stay in touch.
Does your family have a perfect recipe for pesto, diligently tested over decades by your great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents?
You might want to write it down and share it within your family circle. Family recipes are true treasures!
“Family recipes are so special because food, like music, brings back memories. And memories with family are simply the best.” –Jacopo Falleni, Owner of Nonna’s Italian Restaurant
With the Reunacy Message Board, sharing a recipe is easy and quick! Everyone can comment, like, and engage with the post.
Sharing new recipes or meal prep tips can also be fun for the “cooks” of the families.
Preserving a family recipe can also be a way to remember our loved ones after they have passed away.
“It’s important to preserve family recipes for future generations because my cousins and I can still enjoy “Mom Mom’s Dirt Pudding” at family gatherings even though she’s no longer with us. It provides a tangible experience of her presence for us to reflect on and be grateful for!” – Michaela Robinson
Sharing family recipes is a simple way to stay in touch with family after the family reunion.
3. Create a Digital Family Reunion Photo Album
Photos are like time machines! They capture all the goofy grins and silly moments that make family so special. Just looking through photos can bring you right back to all the fun and laughter.
“Family photos are a time capsule of memories that can be passed down for generations!”
-Trenice Martin, Da T-Shirt Lady
Uploading all your family reunion photos to one place ensures that everyone in your family can access them. You want to choose a place where family members of all ages can easily get to and upload their photos.
With Reunacy’s exclusive membership, you can create private online photo albums in your group. Only members of your private Reunacy group will be able to see the album.
And the best part is that anyone in your group can upload their own photos from their cameras and phones. That way, ALL the photos captured from the reunion can be enjoyed in one place!
An online photo album is an ideal way to kindle the “family reunion afterglow.”
4. Schedule a Virtual Family Check-in
With relatives traveling great distances for your family reunion, it’s not always feasible to get together multiple times a year. Those 6 hour flights from the East Coast are not exactly fun!
With modern technology, there are many ways to foster vibrant relationships virtually.
You could try scheduling a family phone call or a zoom check-in every few months. Choose a platform that is easiest for everyone! Even Facetime works really well. There’s nothing like seeing the faces of your family even if you’re far away from each other.
Some families get very creative with their virtual gatherings. Here are a few ways to make the virtual check-in extra fun!
- Why not try a Zoom Happy Hour (bring your own wine!) or have a food theme?
- To break the ice on the Zoom call, you can prepare an agenda. For example, everyone on the call gets a chance to share a funny family story or memory.
- If you have a smaller group, you could plan a phone call on a Sunday evening and give everyone a chance to chat!
“With many of our family members in different states, I believe what keeps the connection going is family group chats. We can keep up with all the happenings of each other’s lives, crack jokes and even share photos. For me, it kind of creates the illusion that we are not really hundreds or even thousands of miles away from each other. I love being around family, so the group chats give a sense of closeness.” -Trenice Martin, Da T-Shirt Lady
Bring wine, and enjoy!
5. Start a Family Book Club
If you have a few bookworms in the family, starting a book club together is a way to stay connected intellectually.
Every family will have different taste in books. One way to start is to make a varied list of 10 book options and put it to vote with your family.
After you decide on the book you want to read, give everyone 1-2 months to read the book. Set a date on the calendar to connect virtually and discuss your thoughts.
6. Work on a Family Video, Project, Craft, or Quilt
If you love arts and crafts in your family, try any of these family art projects:
- Make a home family video. Have everyone contribute home video footage or photos to the designated filmmaker of the family. Choose a few family songs you love and edit all the videos and photos together! These special family videos can be so special to view together.
- Create a family quilt together. Have each family member pick a fabric or patches from clothing. Designate one central family quilter who has a sewing machine and can sew all the pieces together!
- With young children in the family, drawings and paintings are true treasures to aunts and uncles! Set up a drawing or painting day for your little ones and send the finished products to your family members in the mail. There’s a special kind of joy that comes from putting up a painting on your fridge from your grandchild!
7. Plan Holiday Activities: Virtual and In-Person
When the holidays come around, there’s a flurry of activity with shopping, sending packages, and making travel arrangements to visit loved ones. However, it can be difficult to visit every member of the family during Christmas.
There are many ways to spread the family love during the holidays:
- Plan your holiday cards in advance! Make sure everyone on your family reunion list is on your holiday card list.
- Upload a special holiday post in your Reunacy Group, sharing why you feel gratitude for your family.
- Take a poll of your favorite holiday movies and plan time to watch the same movies over the holiday break!
The holidays are one of the most celebrated times of the year. Take advantage of the holiday spirit to spread the cheer virtually!
8. Watch your favorite shows or movie and share your review
Do you and your sisters have a favorite Netflix show you like to binge? Or, one of those juicy reality TV shows?
Schedule a watch night with snacks and get together if you live close to each other.
If you’re virtual, you can send a quick group text or post on your Message Board to see what they thought of the latest Bachelor finale!
9. Start a Family Newsletter
Some families like to document their updates in a more detailed and consistent way with family newsletters. One grandpa wrote his grandchildren a letter every Wednesday, and sent each grandchild a copy of the letter in the mail. Email is always an easy way to send a newsletter if you want to be paper-free!
Starting a family newsletter is a great way to keep everyone updated and stay in touch with family after the family reunion. A newsletter keeps the connection strong and consistent.
10. Brainstorm & Schedule the Next Family Reunion!
It’s never too early to start planning the next family reunion! If you just had a very successful reunion, it’s a good idea to pick a range of dates for next year so family members can make their travel arrangements in advance.
We hope you enjoy discovering new ways to connect with your family in-between reunions!
Start a free group on Reunacy today to start connecting with your family and plan your reunion!