Family re-unions can be fraught or fun. Most fall in between the two extremes with perhaps a few tense moments and lots of laughter. It’s good for families to get together. We live in a fast moving world where people move from place to place. So it can be difficult to keep track and keep in touch. Of course we do make a point of travelling for important occasions such as weddings or funerals. Whatever the reason we gather someone should really say a few words of welcome and talk about what family means. After all when all is said and done those present come from the same gene pool and it is interesting to see what they have done in their lives as opposed to your own lifestyle decisions. It’s especially good for youngsters to meet their cousins and to get to know them. So whatever the reason you are gathered take time to say a few words that will make the rest of the family stop and think about family life and what you all mean to each other.

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“Let’s get together again” goes the refrain of an old song. It might be a suitable motto for a family reunion. We live in an age where family members often live at a long distance from each other. Busy lifestyles mean they don’t see one another very often. That’s a shame because when all is said and done family is important. They are usually there for us when others desert us. The tie of blood is a strong one. Whether you are meeting again for Thanksgiving or for your grandmother’s birthday doesn’t matter as long as you do get together. Such a reunion is a time for catching up on family affairs. It’s a time to say “Well done on passing examinations” or “Have you any photos of the new baby? It’s a time to say, “Tell me about the new job” or “I hear Mary has got engaged”. Families do meet for funerals of course but isn’t it much better to meet on a happier occasion? So lift the phone and make that arrangement. You will be strengthening those ties and probably having a good time too.

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School re-unions don’t just happen. Somebody has to organise them. Finding the list of contacts is a challenging task. People move house, change jobs and get new telephone numbers. Even in this age of technology they may have different email addresses or not bother with Facebook. Some will have moved abroad and may be missionaries in Africa or working in Siberia and there is every possibility that they won’t make it home for the re-union. So, the person charged with organising the re-union has to have the skills of Sherlock Holmes to track down the students of whatever the year in question. On the actual night the fun begins. Who is that fat fellow over there or who is that blonde woman in the corner are questions that the erstwhile students ask each other surreptitiously. It’s fascinating to find what people have done with their lives and what others have not done despite being, so the teachers thought, destined for greatness. Photos on the wall or on the tables will have “Do you remember?” conversations starting immediately. The most efficient organisers often forget that this is an occasion for a speech and end up stuttering a few words of welcome. He or she might really add to the occasion by speaking of teachers once known, of students who have made a name for themselves or of jokes shared in the classroom. So welcome those ex-students to the re-union by all means but do your homework and make the good old days come alive in your speech.

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Christmas isn’t the only time to party. On New Year’s Eve, of course, people will be partying all over the world but what happens when January kicks in? Well maybe it is a good opportunity to start the year off with a bang with a family celebration. People are born in January so birthdays are an excuse to party. So too are wedding anniversaries. It may be a silver, a ruby or a gold anniversary but whatever one it is it is a cause for celebration. Perhaps you could have a welcome home party for a soldier returning from duty or a farewell party for a neighbour who is moving house. Someone may be retiring from the office so a party will give him or her a good send-off. Your company may have been chosen for some business award or there might be a graduation in the family. These too are reasons for a get together. Maybe the New Year has brought with it a new baby. If so that is surely a cause for a family re-union. The office party may, of course, be held in January and if so, it will surely be a motivational affair. Christmas may be over but instead of being depressed about that why not find a reason to start the New Year with fun and laughter and maybe even a cake and candles.

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Keep it in the family. That could be a good rule for many speechwriters. After all there are plenty of family occasions where a speech is appropriate. There are times when what you say will be remembered and even cherished for years to come. Start at the beginning by giving a speech at your child’s christening or at his or her first birthday. Speaking of birthdays why not give a speech at your mother’s 60th or at your father’s 70th birthday? If either of them is retiring it’s a good excuse to have a party and say a few words about a life well spent juggling work and after the family. What about graduation day? It’s another time when what you say is important. If, sadly, your brother or sister dies a thoughtful eulogy given by you will give great comfort to the other family members. Loving words should not be limited to your immediate blood family either. The step-father of the bride might well express his love for his step-child at her wedding. Of course a wedding anniversary is definitely a time for a relevant toast. So if your parents are 50 years married speak out about those golden years. Finally families are precious so why not have a get together and say a few words about a family re-union and how important it is to keep in touch? Such speeches turn family milestones into intimate and memorable occasions.

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It’s summertime and that means more outdoor events, more prize-givings and more speeches. You may for instance be asked to speak at the opening of charity/fundraiser/fete. What you will say depends of course, on the charity and the event in questions. Certainly though you will have to speak graciously of the organizers and welcome those who attend the event and urge them to support the cause as generously as possible. You might be at a school sports and find you have to speak about the importance of sportsmanship and to speak motivationally about losers as well as winners. Summertime is also the time for family re-unions and you should speak of the importance of keeping in touch. You might mention too the differences between the different family members but how much you have in common too. There may be a reason for the re-union such as a golden wedding anniversary and if so, that too should be included in the speech. You could possibly have to present prizes at a golf outing and if so your speeches should talk about the reason for the event and your pleasure in presenting the prizes. Lots of things happen in summertime and each one of them calls for a speech. So set the mood and enhance the day with the words that you say.

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Christmas is about more than just Santa. It’s about speeches at your office party and the sound of carols in the street. It’s also the sound of snow crunching beneath your feet. Christmas is about bells ringing and Bing Crosby singing. For children it’s the sound of reindeers on the roof.
Christmas is a time for going home and family re-unions. It’s a about glitter and glitz and gaily wrapped gifts. Christmas is about lights glowing in the dark and frost sparkling in the park. It’s the time of year for wonder and joy and the expectation on the face of each girl and boy.
Christmas is when you meet old friends and make new ones. It’s about children playing with toys and trains and guns. It’s about groaning tables and ancient fables. Christmas is about the plop of the post, smell of the roast. And of course the seasonal toast.
The Greeks call it Xmas but Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Christ and the crib.

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Thanksgiving is only one reason for a family re-union. Families also gather for a grandmother’s birthday or a golden wedding anniversary. They also come together for such family occasions as a wedding or a funeral. Thanksgiving, though, is the occasion where families re-unite although there is no specific family reason for the gathering. It’s a federal holiday of course, and even for those with no religious beliefs it is a day when they express their thanks for their lot in life. Most importantly they give thanks for being in the midst of their loved ones. Families come in all sorts of combinations and live in all sorts of places. A Thanksgiving Day re-union puts the focus on the family and what it means in our lives. It’s very much a time for gathering around the tables and doing what mankind has done since time immemorial and that is eat, drink and hear all the family gossip. It’s a time when we hear of the sorrows and joys of the members of our own clan. Even those who are not in regular contact with each other appreciate the fact that we need such re-unions even with those with whom we are not always in agreement. A family re-union is like a giant canvas on which Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving we paint a picture of family life at that particular time.

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There was once a popular hit the words of which went “Let’s get together again”. It’s the ideal advice for anyone who plans a party. Getting together with old friends helps make the occasion a great success. If it’s your mother’s birthday she would probably be delighted to see the old friend who was her bridesmaid perhaps. If it’s your father’s retirement he would probably be glad to see an old colleague who had moved onto another job somewhere else.

Perhaps you are having a family re-union? If so making a big effort to contact those cousins with whom you’ve lost touch will be well worthwhile. They’ll probably be delighted that you made the effort. There are some occasions that call out for such a family re-union. Take a bar mitzvah or a wedding anniversary for instance. It’s the ideal time for the generations to mix.

Sadly many of us only get together at a time of mourning. Whether it’s your sister’s funeral or an uncle’s funeral it is a time for a get-together. So don’t rush off after the funeral service but stay and revive memories with family and friends. It will help give you comfort and together, you can reminisce and tell tales of the loved one you have lost.
There are, of course, other reasons for getting people together. It might be a political rally or at the firm’s annual picnic. Whatever the reason it’s good to mix with like minded people. If you find you don’t get on with them you can always chalk it down to experience and avoid the next gathering!

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Despite Christmas it seems we haven’t forgotten our pagan roots. When the dark nights close in we try to banish them with flickering candles and festive gatherings. Winter is the time when, whatever the reason, annual dinners are held and people get together to enjoy good food and good cheer.
It isn’t always for selfish reasons. There are benevolent association dinners where workers gather to raise funds for a colleague who has hit on hard times. There are fundraisers for a children’s charity or for sufferers from an illness such as cancer or heart disease. Perhaps the organisers know that in winter we have more time to think of others and suffering seems more poignant in the dark and dreary months.
On the other hand of course there are family re-unions when families travel long distances just to meet each other and to celebrate the festive season. A Christmas wedding is special simply because besides the frills and flounces we have the sparkle and staff motivational speeches perhaps because they have a captive audience. After all most of us aren’t out playing tennis or fishing in the long dark nights of winter. Clubs and societies therefore, choose to have their parties in December or January.
So if you are invited to a dinner or a gathering make the effort, dress up and go. Our ancestors were right. Fun and laughter and good company are the best possible ways to banish the dark devils of those long cold nights.

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