For many of us, the holiday season is the merriest of all celebrations. You can feel the festive mood, overflowing generosity, and the cold weather all around you. You also get to spend time with your loved ones.

In the Philippines, families take the holiday break as a chance to reunite with one another and celebrate Christmas together. At the airport, you can see hundreds of thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and balikbayans coming home after months or years of being away from their family, all of them excited for the upcoming holiday.

Since family reunions, including homecomings for our kababayans, happen only once every year or so, you might want to start planning now to make it extra special and memorable.

Here are some useful tips to help you organize your family’s get-together for the holidays:

1. Determine your family’s budget.

Family reunions can be costly since you’re going to spend for food, drinks, transportation, giveaways, entertainment, and other similar expenses. Estimate how much you’re going to need for each item to come up with a total amount for your budget.

Once you determine your budget, you can think about where your funds will come from. If you have a big clan, you might want to divide the expenses among individual families. You can also ask select family members if they would be willing to shoulder some of the costs. Someone in your family might have a shuttle van, which can be used to fetch relatives and other guests coming from different places, for instance.

If you have saved up for this event way ahead of time, well and good. But if you think you’ll be a little short on cash, you can opt for short-term loans online. Companies that are offering online lending in the Philippines allow you to borrow money, so you can stretch your budget for various financial needs.

2. Choose the date and location wisely.

To make sure that all family members will be able to attend the event, you’ll need to choose the most convenient date and location for everyone. Since it’s very likely that there will be students in every family, consider setting the date of the reunion once the schools are closed so they can join the event.

Pick a time that works with the majority, too. Are more people available for lunch or dinner? Remember that there are many other events aside from your family reunion, so ask every member as to which time is the best for them.

It’s also important to choose the most accessible location. Whether you’re holding the event at your ancestral home or in your family’s favorite restaurant, you might want to make advance arrangements to make sure that everyone has an easy time going to the venue.  Just avoid places that are notorious for traffic, and make sure the venue is spacious and comfortable enough to accommodate your family and their companions. Search and compare your venue options.

3. Give advance notice.

You don’t have to include the final details of the event when you give an advance notice to your guests, especially if things are still in the planning stage. You can just give them a heads-up about the tentative date, theme, or venue, so they can organize their own schedule, too. Let everyone know when you’ll be able to make the details official. This also helps you to get things done the soonest time possible since everyone else is waiting for your final confirmation.

4. Create a group chat.

Setting up a group chat on messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger or Viber is a great way to keep family members and relatives informed about your upcoming gathering. It also keeps the excitement going.

You can make video calls with multiple persons, in case you have to ask them something and you need an instant reply. You even can send pictures or files to someone in the group, such as when you’re trying to show or brainstorm on design ideas for souvenir items.

5. Make the food great.

Family reunions are highly anticipated mostly because they offer a feast of the best dishes that you get to eat only during the holidays. So work on the food menu as early as you can, including the main course, side dishes, and dessert.

Prepare a combination of dishes that will satisfy everyone’s craving, but consider health concerns, too. Avoid those that are excessively sweet or fatty, especially for the older members of the family.

6. Prepare group activities and games for all ages.

Add more fun into your annual reunion by organizing games or friendly competitions between family members. This is a great way to get everyone involved and interacting with one another, from kids to adolescents and adults.

Be ready with some board games, guessing games, simple obstacle course games, or even song and dance contests that will surely keep everyone entertained. Don’t forget to give out prizes to the winning individuals or teams!

7. Make time for family stories and traditions.

Holiday parties won’t be complete without making time for long-held traditions that really make the family come together.

Set aside some downtime, where you can exchange stories, reminisce your old way of life, tell jokes, or watch family videos. Some relatives might have been away for far too long, so it might be a good idea to have some getting-to-know-you time with the younger generations in your family.

 

Families Building Holiday Memories

Christmas is the perfect moment for being together, sharing the holiday spirit, and building memories to treasure with your family. Cashalo lets you celebrate this special family occasion by giving you access to ready cash through its online lending platform. You can borrow the extra funds you need anytime for your family’s celebration of the holidays, without charging you high-interest rates or making you wait a long time for your loan approval.