Provide frames for instant photos if you have a capable camera.
Family reunion gifts are a great way to send people home with a tangible reminder of the fun they had visiting with relatives. The gifts can be simple and inexpensive or elaborate and expensive, as long as they will remind your family of the importance (and fun) of the annual gathering. If you make a tradition of having a memorable reunion with a useful or thoughtful gift, your family will have that to add to the list of reasons to look forward to next year's reunion.
The Obligatory T-Shirt
Probably the most common of all family reunion gifts is the customized T-shirt. You can make your own T-shirts using heat transfers, or have them made if you prefer. Wait to buy the T-shirts until you have confirmed the list of attendees so you don't make the wrong number of shirts. Save money by buying solid-colored shirts in bulk. If you want to print the shirts at home using heat-transfer paper, stick to using white shirts for the best results. If you take a family photo each year at the reunion, consider using last year's photo as the main image on the shirt. Include the family name, year and slogan of the reunion if there is one.
Family Recipe Book
Making a family recipe book takes a little more planning on everyone's behalf but is also more rewarding and meaningful when finished. Send out a call for favorite family recipes with invitations to this year's family reunion. Once you have received all of the recipe submissions, edit them into a book which you can print and bind for everyone who attends. Mail them as a loving gesture for family members who are unable to attend, as well, letting them know that you were thinking of them in their absence. Make the books at home by printing recipes and binding them either as full A4 paper size, or in smaller notecard-sized sheets bound with a couple of hole punches and binder rings. If resources allow, laminate the books for lasting protection in the kitchen.
Photos and Frames
Make customized family photo frames. Your guests can take these frames home with them, perhaps with a photo of the family from the last reunion. As an added touch, send out a thank-you and recap letter with a photo of the whole group from this year's reunion for them to put in the family frame. This could become a lovely annual tradition, with a new photo and frame for each year's get-together.
Customized Koozies
Customized koozies are a perfect welcome gift for a summertime reunion. These foam drink holders help keep your hands dry and your drinks cold, slipping right onto cans and bottles. Many promotional gift companies and even the Oriental Trading Company make koozies that can be customized with a family name, date of the party or other information. Koozies come in most themes or designs you can imagine, from something as simple as neon colors to something as elaborate as an American flag design. Some designs will limit the amount of text you can have printed on them, and this is not a gift you can easily make yourself.
Themed Gift
If your family reunion has a theme each year, consider a festive gift that corresponds to the theme. For instance, if you are having a luau-themed party complete with roast pig, have leis for the guests or even grass skirts for the children. A themed party favor will get your family in the spirit of the party from the moment they arrive.
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