Updated on: Aug 31, 2024
Planning a family reunion can be a lot of fun. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep everything organized and so it can bring some stress as well. Finding the perfect favor ideas for a family can be a little challenging, especially with COVID-19 affecting how we do things. Fortunately, these inexpensive family reunion favors are sure to warm your family's hearts.
Family Reunion Favors: Crafts
1. Save the Date Calendars
2. Custom-Made Mugs
3. Designer Tees
These are a great take-home favor and also a great activity idea. Supply family members with plain T-shirts to decorate or ask them to bring their own. Provide fabric paints, stencils, and tie-dye kits to design the tees.
4. Family Portrait Frames
5. Fun Family Attire
Create your own family design and have it printed on clothing items such as sweatshirts, t-shirts, shorts, sweatpants, or baseball caps. Add a silly slogan, such as “The Smiths were at it again!”.
7. Family Tree Platter
Create your own design of your family tree and place it on a platter. This favor is great because it’s both practical and adorable! You can put it on a table as a centerpiece. Personalize it any way you desire by adding information about your family members under their names, such as silly nicknames. You can even add text on the platter itself.
8. Photo Booth Props
Get some silly props to make your family reunion photos a memorable blast! Have some laughs and celebrate some inside jokes that only other family members will understand.
9. Tree of Life
Use family members to compile a complete family tree. You can create the family tree on the computer or make a small physical tree with hanging photo frames. It’s a heartfelt and lovely gift for each family member to cherish their generational bonds with.
10. Old Family Photos CD
Gather all the old family photos and scan them into a computer. Then, load them onto a picture disk. Make copies of the disk to give to each family member so that everyone can enjoy the photos. This will allow the collection of memories to be digitalized and shared at a much cheaper cost than printing them.
Family Reunion Favors: Everyday Use Items
11. Stress Balls with Stickers/Labels
Give the family a fun way to relieve everyday stress by squeezing stress balls with motivational stickers or sticky labels attached to them. They can be emoji-themed if family members have specific go-to emojis, sports-themed if there are many sports lovers at the reunion, or anything else.
12. Personalized Lip Balm Covers
Family members can keep their lips hydrated and remember the reunion with creative lip balm covers. Small and easy to carry around, these favors may become a staple in the purses and pockets of family members.
13. Custom Keychains
Perfect for anyone’s backpack or purse, keychains with the name and date of the reunion or any message can add a nice touch to family members’ day-to-day lives long after the reunion party. You can even add a family logo to the keychains if your family has one.
14. Wallets
A simple wallet can be great for a family reunion favor. Family members can stick photos taken at the reunion in their new wallets to keep the memories alive.
15. Bookmarks
Are there bookworms in the family? Even if not, bookmarks with motivational quotes or the family reunion name and date are suitable for everyone.
Family Reunion Favors: Sweets
16. Dessert Toppers
If you are serving mom’s delicious apple pies at your reunion, everyone is sure to want a slice. Make the nostalgic recipe even tastier and more meaningful with cake toppers. You can make them family reunion-themed or have them in various other fun designs you know will appeal to all the members of the family.
17. Chocolate and Candy Mixes
Create a mix of candies that range from chocolates to jelly beans, and present them to each family member in an appealing candy tin or coffee mug. You can use candies that are family favorites or use local candies to add a unique flair. To go the extra mile, you can personalize bars of chocolate with family reunion stickers.
18. Ice Cream Scooper with Ice Cream
A pint of ice cream is a delicious and easy reunion favor. You can make it personal by giving each family member their favorite flavor. Add an ice cream scooper with personalized messages on the handle to each pint with a ribbon on which you could write the date of the family reunion. As a note, only have ice cream as a favor if you are confident that your guests can make it home before the ice cream melts.
19. Lemonade Stand
Perfect for kids and adults. Water can be boring, and too much soda can be overwhelming; why not get lemonade? You can keep it non-alcoholic for the little ones or for those who don't drink, while other guests can mix their favorite hard liquor with it. Everyone wins. If you really want to go all out, try different flavors: pink lemonade, raspberry lemonade, blue raspberry lemonade, etc. Grab a blender and blend some ice and lemonade to get a slushy-typed drink. Perfect for hot summer days or fun drinks.
20. Hot Chocolate Mix
If it’s cold outside, a warm and sweet drink is the way to go. Hot chocolate is a reliable and practically universally loved drink for family members to sip on by their fireplaces. You can pair the favor with a mug and a personal message.
Family Reunion Favors: Decorative Souvenirs
21. Candles
Candles add charm to rooms and they make for perfect favors that everyone can appreciate. Add the name and date of the reunion or have a special message on the candles so that every time your family members see them, they remember the fun times.
22. Decorative Jars
Spruce up tables and shelves with jars. They can come in various sizes and designs. You can even personalize these favors with the family reunion date. The jars are perfect for flowers, but they can hold anything the family members wish to put in them. If you want, you can add in some small items or slips of paper with quotes in the jars as you hand them out.
23. Footstep Memories
Thank your family for coming to your party by giving them a personalized stepping-stone with the relationship you hold with them engraved on it. Give your sister a stone with the words “Sisters” engraved on it. Another idea is to engrave these stepping-stones with the actual reunion date or location for your guests to remember. For example, you could write the phrase “Jones’ Family Reunion 2020”. These stones are neat family reunion souvenirs!
24. Meaningful Bouquets
Use various herbs and flowers each with a meaning behind it to create a personalized bouquet. Use marjoram for joy, parsley for festivity, or pink verbena, which signifies family togetherness. Place the bouquet in a vase personalized with the year of the reunion. Just be careful with transporting it.
25. Tree Decorations
Giving your guests a tree ornament is an excellent way of being reminded of your fun reunion during the Christmas holiday season. Choose some that have a tree or heart design. You can put in the names of family members. Or, as another personal touch, you could inscribe a short phrase, such as “Family Reunion May 2020” or “Family BBQ Summer 2020.”
Conclusion
The stress of planning parties, including family reunions, can get to all of us at times. Now as we face planning events around COVID-19, that stress can be magnified as budget management and safety precautions are key. Some simple tips for favors can include packaging items individually instead of leaving them on a shared table. Another way is to ship the favors ahead of time, along with guidelines for sanitizing if needed. If you are struggling with anything from favor ideas to menu planning, visit EasyEventPlanning to explore the range of unique ideas compiled for you in one easy-to-use location.
Written by Laura Sastre and Jessica Clark; Contributors: Becky Smith and Marianne Vanderbeke