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Christmas Guide
Tips for Throwing an Affordable Holiday Family Party
You don’t have to skip having a reunion this year by planning well.
By: Aimee Morales | December 30, 2016
Save money by taking your own pictures (and videos) instead of hiring a professional photographer (or videographer).
If your family is like most families, the Christmas to New Year season is when your whole clan would gather for a reunion. School’s out, workers are on vacation, and city workers go back to their hometowns. It is the perfect time for some family bonding, catching up with the details in each other’s lives, and strengthening family ties.
A party for the whole family can get pricey, however, especially if you are considering renting a swanky venue, going on a tour or cruise, or traveling to the party location by plane. But if you are bent on making the gathering memorable for everyone, there are ways to launch a successful reunion as you cut the costs. Keep the following tips in mind when planning a more affordable family reunion.
Get big savings on the cost of venue
Choose a venue with facilities that will allow for various activities like swimming, biking, and playing games.
Ditch the costly hotels and restaurants and go for parks! It’s refreshing to have a reunion picnic in a nature setting and have plenty of outdoor activities for the children, and even your pets. There are many city parks with pavilions, gardens, and amenities like playgrounds, clean restrooms, courts and fields, bike lanes, and swimming pools. Other affordable options include church halls, village clubhouses, and a family member’s own home.
Take advantage of group rates
Sharing rooms saves on cost and adds to family bonding.
Make each family pay for their own accommodations, or you could also go for discounted group rates in hotels and resorts, and vacation packages that include lodging and flights. Relatives from out of town have the option to check in at small hotels or inns, or to get free accommodation at another family member’s home.
Go for pot luck
Have everyone bring their specialty—it’s cheap and easy!
Families usually opt for pot luck because it is the cheapest and easiest alternative. Assign a dish to each family, and factor in each family’s specialty, too! If Uncle Carl’s barbecue is a big hit, for example, then this can certainly be assigned to his family. For those who are traveling from out of town, easy take-out options include pizza, desserts, roast chicken, and other food from affordable restaurants.
Do it yourself!
Get creative and make personalized keepsakes.
Want souvenirs for this year’s reunion? You can save money by making your own family t-shirts by using iron-ons. And instead of paying a photographer or videographer, you can assign the task to a knowledgeable family member. Other ideas include writing the program yourself, if any, and designating the role of emcee to another relative. For entertainment, let each family perform, organize a dance-off or karaoke night, or form dance or singing groups to perform.
It would be a nice touch to make your family’s tree, or to put together a simple audio-visual presentation to show photo highlights of the year. If there is someone who can make short films, it’s a pretty neat idea to put the stills and clips together into a music video!
Have a fundraiser
Raise funds for your family party by holding a garage sale, for example.
Here’s a practical tip: You can hold a garage sale, an auction, a raffle, or a small show to raise money for your family’s reunion. This can be done months before the event, or during the reunion itself—to raise funds for next year’s gathering. You can tell the families in advance what you want them to bring to be able to participate in the fundraising.
These are just some ideas to build on. It would be wise to create a Facebook page for the clan and have everyone pitch in their ideas there. All details about the party may be posted there, too, for easy reference. When the event is over, pictures can be posted there as well for easy downloading.
Whatever you do, remember that the time spent together and the memories made are of prime importance. It doesn’t really matter how much you spend, or how fancy the party is, the important thing is that everybody enjoys!
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About Aimee Morales
Aimee Morales is a freelance writer and editor. She is the founder of FLOW, a small community of writers who write for healing and inspiration. She started the Freelance Writers' Guild of the Philippines (FWGP) in 2010 and served as its president until September 2020. Balangay Productions published her first book, “Why Mandaya Teens Have Sharp Black Teeth” in 2015. Five years later in 2020, she published her second book (an eBook) titled, “Alignment: Lessons on Writing”. Aimee is a single mother, tai chi and eskrima practitioner, and creator of the #santoshaproject - a personal effort to encourage more people to incorporate the Santosha gratitude practice into their daily lives.
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