Our Incredible Christmas Family Reunion

For many years since the early 1980s, my family, my in-laws, and the rest of our extended family in Seattle would get together during Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other special occasions like someone’s birthday or graduation. I always looked forward to these gatherings because those were the times members of our family shared stories about themselves and their experiences.

But as our children, nephews, and nieces became adults, entered the workforce, got married, raised a family, and had to relocate to Houston, Hawaii, California, and Las Vegas for greener pasture, getting together as one big clan, numbering close to forty at one time, has become increasingly difficult.

Those who have remained in Seattle continue the family tradition, but, of course, the number of family attendees has significantly decreased. There is that longing to reconnect with those relatives in faraway places who now have their own children. There is also that strong desire to find out what is going on in each other’s lives: How are the parents raising their children? Are the children doing well in school? Who are interested in attending the biyearly clan reunion in the Philippines? Are there future plans and trips that people want to share?

So, at the initiative of a few members of Gen X in the family, it was decided to have a Christmas family reunion in Seattle in 2024, where children and grandchildren could spend Christmas together and share personal stories. It would also be a good opportunity to meet new members in the family.

The excitement started as soon as the preparations – thankfully everything went without a hitch – were made and finalized. There was a feeling of great anticipation especially among those who had not seen each other for quite some time. And when everyone finally arrived in Seattle, the excitement of seeing each other filled the air.

There were four generations who attended the reunion composed of great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, cousins, siblings, grandkids, great-grandkids.

The excitement and joy of finally meeting relatives was palpable. People were hugging each other, happy that everyone arrived in Seattle safely. Once the new family members felt the sense of family and belongingness, they let their guard down and freely allowed themselves to mingle with the rest of the group.

A new family member had this to say, “Thank you, guys, so much for welcoming us and my family; they really enjoyed the trip. We really enjoyed seeing everyone.”

Another opined, “We enjoyed the family get together, birthday celebration, family sharing, and finally meeting new members of our clan.”

During family gatherings, I observed that cousins who have not seen each other for years could immediately engage in spirited conversation without dilly-dallying, talking about their jobs, sharing their life experiences, recounting their time raising their children. Simply put, this sharing and the bonding that were taking place were real, deep, and profoundly meaningful.

Keri Ure, in her article Ask an Expert – How Sharing Family Stories Can Strengthen Relationships, wrote, “These shared stories can be influential in developing family and individual identity because stories are important for understanding the world. Sharing family stories is also a powerful way to strengthen and unite family members.”

One of the many surprises for me was seeing the grandchildren, ages five to ten, got together with their cousins. They got along pretty well even if they seldom saw each other. They played intensely among themselves and engaged in free play that, at times, they kept me on my toes, afraid that they could hurt themselves and end up fighting. But they never did. By the end of the day, they did not want to leave each other. But more than getting along and playing games, I hope they stay close for years to come.

The importance that food plays in strengthening family connection was evident during the reunion. Every get-together was punctuated with sharing meals together coupled with games, storytelling, jokes, and lots of laughter.

There were tons of activities for everybody. The men went target shooting. Some watched a musical. Some of the ladies went shopping. A number braved driving through the snow to Leavenworth so that the kids could play in the snow. Some met with friends they had not seen for a while. Some met and just sat around talking and laughing their hearts out. Certainly, the highlight was the Christmas Day gathering where a sumptuous meal was shared, gifts were exchanged, White Elephant and other multigenerational games were played, lots of pictures were taken.

Sharing life stories, sharing photos online, and wishing everyone the best as they said their goodbyes strengthened the family bond that would not have been made possible without the reunion.

Addressing the entire family on a group chat in Messenger at the end of the reunion, my son-in-law posted, “I enjoyed every second of this trip with you. The big group experiences, the quieter moments I got to spend with you individually and everything in between.”

Another one posted, “Thank you all for a wonderful Christmas. It is always so much fun hanging out with everyone and running all around town. We love you all and miss you already.”

At the end of the Christmas reunion, people started sharing their memories on Messenger and the younger generation started discussing the next family Christmas reunion. I took this to mean that the four generations represented in the reunion want to remain connected. And, for us adults, what a wonderful idea to meet regularly to catch up with the younger generations, share with them our family heritage, watch the new grandchildren play, and continue to deepen and strengthen our bond as a family.

The stories shared and the strong family bond created during the Christmas reunion will, no doubt, serve as a foundation that will strengthen the ties that bind the family. Only a reunion creates that sense of family unity and belongingness that need to be preserved at all cost and passed along to the younger generations.

As one said, “I’m always grateful for our family and the memories we continue to create through different generations...love to all of you.”

Let me end with a quote I read online that captures the essence of the recent Christmas family reunion our family had in Seattle.” We may not have it all together; but together we have it all...The best thing in life are the people we love and the memories we’ve made along the way.”