A lot of family visiting - logistics help
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Anonymous
You’re just making up stories. OP hasn’t implied anything of the sort. |
Anonymous
Nope, but the folks insisting that all of this for ES graduation is “over the top” don’t have the backstory either. So we’re even. |
Anonymous
| Ask everyone to bring their families favorite game? Ask everyone to plan one dinner? Movie? Park? |
Anonymous
This. You suddenly all get "covid" or the flu or pink eye or whatever your ailment of choice is right before the "graduation". |
Anonymous
| Be honest as they may not be realizing just how many people this amounts to for you. Tell them “You have to help me manage these logistics. I don’t even have 13 chairs for you all to be at my house all day, every day!” State the meals you’ll have (keep it simple and economical) and keep a takeout menu ready. Borrow some backyard games and have a fire pit ready. Just sitting around might send them back to their hotels earlier. Otherwise, just enjoy their company and the fact they want to be a part of the day. |
Anonymous
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We had a similar situation.
Do not listen to other people here who are calling this ridiculous. Even if it is an elementary school graduation (or insert any other milestone), it’s awesome that you have people who would set aside time to be there. Here’s what we did: - we created an easy menu - breakfast was just pantry items - lunch and dinner options: make your own tacos, sandwiches, ordered pizza, premade lasagna trays - we also asked two people who had a signature dish make it - when folks arrived, we asked the helpful ones if they could help with a particular task (dishes, sweeping the floor, cooking, chopping, setting the table, etc). It’s also good to get tweens and teens involved by asking them to help capture memories and take photos - we also had a list of recommendations for restaurants and encouraged people to go on their own - we planned “walks” around the neighborhood to let people get out without the fuss and getting folks out the house and in a car - we had a game night, movie night - when needed, we excused our own family for a nap/quiet time in the afternoon (and many ppl followed suit) Have a blast OP. Look at it as an opportunity to create memories and bonds. Put a smile on that face and don’t let the debbie-downers here affect you. Yes, you will be tired but the effort is worth the end result. |
Anonymous
WTF. Dont do any of this insanity. |
Anonymous
| Plan a photo time too. Get everyone outside and posing for pics. All the cousins together, cousins with grandparents, parents with kids, etc. Just whip out the camera phones and aim to get that holiday card photo! |
Anonymous
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For Christmas 2014, we hosted a week long family reunion for 32 people. It was awesome and exhausting.
People came from all over the country for it. The occasion was to celebrate my MIL's 80th birthday. Her birthday is 2 days before Christmas, so of course all the family members wanted to stay for Christmas as well. The house was not big enough to have a birthday party for all 32 members of her immediate family, and friends and neighbors as well. So we ended up renting a knights of Columbus facility for Saturday for 60 or so people for her birthday party. Then came her actual birthday two days later, then came Christmas two days after that. Things that were helpful -- Designated parking for all the cars at the house and everyone informed in advance as to where to park. The driveway was to be used to loading and unloading only. We set up the carport into a visiting area. (This was in Georgia, so the weather was decent) Folding tables were set up, many patio chairs were set up in the carport. We set up a trash can and trash bags out there. We set up sodas, water, napkins in the carport. The visiting area in the carport thing helped a great deal in reducing traffic in the house. We made sure everyone had each other's phone numbers and knew where each was staying. I got $300 cash in small bills before it all started, and if anyone was "running into town" I gave them a grocery list and cash for whatever stuff we needed that we had not already purchased in advance. (Most people, of course, were happy to use their own money to pick up whatever was needed, but there were some college age people in the group). Different family members were in charge of dinner for everyone for each day. I typed up "The plan" for the whole week and mailed it to everyone in advance. Someone brought a couple board games. On my personal "to do" list, I wrote "have seven family squabbles". Then when the family squabbles inevitably happened, I just smiled to myself because now I could cross it off my "to do" list. Things that happened that I totally did not see coming -- Two different families came to the family reunion with their dogs! One person was sick and half the people there got sick from that one person. If I ever do something like that again I will totally get all the vaccines I can beforehand. |
Anonymous
This but I would steer clear of anything costs a lot. Plenty of free or low cost things to do (esp if you’re not sure if you’d be expected to cover costs) |
Anonymous
This! Make a plan, make it clear, don’t make it too hard for yourself. |
Anonymous
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We hosted 18 for a week at Christmas - plan ahead and make easy meals. Since they are staying at hotels, I wouldn’t expect to serve breakfast to anyone. Lunches: sandwiches, chili or other soup you can make ahead, cut up veggies/fruit. Keep it simple and plan ahead of time some outings so you know when they will be at your house for lunch vs not.
Dinners - use a slow cooker and make pork bbq, make ahead and freeze a pot pie or something like that. Grill burgers, order pizza, make tacos. It doesn’t need to be fancy - you invited them, so you do need to host them. Do not ask your guests to cook for everyone - you can do it! |
Anonymous
| You had me lost at elementary graduation. |
Anonymous
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Yes to asking everyone to bring a favorite game, and to the pizza and sandwich night suggestions. I would also put out puzzles to work on and host a movie night. Plan at least one DC outing and say anyone who wants to come is welcome but that nobody is obligated.
Are the kids of the ages where they can play together? Can you let them out in the backyard while the grownups socialize? This sounds like a lot but it also sounds like your dread centers around logistics and not bad family dynamics. Logistics can be managed. If everyone is going to behave, this will probably end up being fun. |
Anonymous
Same. Jesus. |