Share with Aunt Bessie’s why family gatherings are the best - chance to win £300 NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

We all know family gatherings can sometimes be a bit stressful but that in the main they are a great way to catch up with loved ones. The team at Aunt Bessie’s would love to hear how you make your family get togethers work for everyone - from the youngest member to the oldest. What role does food play in your gatherings - who does the prep (and who washes up)? What about location, do you like to visit your MILs or do you like hosting yourselves? How often do you get a family gathering on the go - once a year at Christmas or every week?

What’s the best thing which has happened in your family gathering and what memories do you have of gatherings when you were a child? Do you have any traditions you have stuck with or new habits you have come to enjoy?

Aunt Bessie’s say “a proper family gathering is about more than just food – it’s the shared experiences and the bringing together of loved ones that turn a simple meal into something truly special. So we’d love to hear your stories and traditions!”

Add your story for great family gatherings below and you will be entered into a prize draw where one person will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ
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Fond memories of all the family round my grandmothers every weekend.

She taught us all to bake and cook. We still all get together but not so frequent these days.

Everyone is quiet because they are eating

You get to talk about old stories, past-times and catch up

After a breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs washed down with champagne I usually drop the fossils off at a local hotel where they have a meal with their friends while they are away I tidy up and have a quite meal of...ok I stuff myself stupid with all the things I dont usually eat...and I laze around watching naff telly before picking them up again - pure bliss

Then we just nibble at all the things we bought to much off until its gone or summer arrives , which ever comes first

Everyone brings a course (which doesn't need cooking, just heating up, everyone clears up or looks after children. Prep as much a possible in advance.

Family gatherings don't need to be stressful if everyone respects everyone's quirks!

We started to have christmas dinner on christmas eve.So you have a nice day without the stress of cooking.We have an open fridge day on christmas day

Aunt Bessie is totally correct; it's never about the food it's about sharing memories with your loved ones and making memories for the future. I'd be happy with a chip butty as long as my family are around.

Family get togethers don't always go smoothly in our family, keeping people busy with something to do / talk about helps a lot. Me and my mum handle all the food prep / cooking and leave my husband and father entertain the kids, then we switch once it's time for washing and clearing up, because the cook never cleans in our house ! Having little games is great, this year for the Christmas eve party I've bought novelty games like hook the ring on the reindeer and pin the nose on the snowman etc, this keeps things flowing smoothly and keeps the atmosphere light. Christmas music in the background also helps fuel the mood.

We make sure there is a variety of food, (Fussy eaters and veggies) and let everyone help themselves so that there are no food dramas.
Also spread the gathering over 2 rooms so people can retreat to another if necessary.
Oh, and don't invite anyone that has "Issues!" Let them play their games elsewhere

Keep things relatively simple and be flexible to others - try not to stress too much about the planning and prep and presentation as at the end of the day you aren't trying to impress , it should be about enjoying the company.
Nice to share memories and make new ones with the younger members of the family.

To bring the family together - there isn't a better way!

Family gatherings are great because with so many of us spread all over the country they just don't happen as much as we all would like.

We all take in turns hosting & whomever isn't cooking is in charge of washing up.
Good food, a glass of wine all kids playing happily with their cousins. I love it.
What makes it even more special it's that's when they do happen it's never just family but friends come & join in as well

family.love the family gatherings.it can beat any holiday,expensive trip.spa.outing.having th family roun trumps all.
there will be moments of stress.there will be ill health in the family or ill members.but your family so you make it work.end of.

traditionly its a taken turn thing.one year husbands family visit the next mothers side.and its always a gathering.a special day.

we still hold tradiotns we grew up with that we still do every year.

they are stressful in moemnts but they aren't usually the moments you remember and you get through them without hastle because the good and the being together far outweigh anything else.

food holds a huge part and so it should.it shouldn't be feared,guilted over or stressful. but it always is up to a point.but again you ge through for the end result.a few hugs I nthe interim help.all pulling together and putting in where your strengths lies.pudding,meat.salad what can you all contribute.
Christmas.big roast.gingerbread house.big tub of chocs.cheese or leftover sandwhiches later and for days afterwards.food is very much linked with Christmas time.
turkey prices seems to be mounting which cause muh irritance.
actually all food seems to be on the price rise so it just getting a bit uurg to have to think bout that more and the budget.
a good family game.yes sometimes full of overcompetitive family is a must.
sleeping in front of the tele.
tele tele tele.heavily features hehe.
family.its the whole world.

I'm not very good at organising large family gatherings unfortunately. But when we go to visit my husband's family at the opposite side of the country then it is quite heart warming to see everyone get together to see us and I realise how important it actually is and intend to make more effort with my more immediate family back home.

I like family gatherings depending on who's there lol. If theres good chatter and some silly fun then they can be fantastic.

Our family gatherings are chaotic but not stressful. We have characters who live the coming and prepping,others entertain the kids and someone inevitably washes up! Keeping things simple with a buffet style lunch (normally ends up being an odd but enjoyable assortment of food) helps.

Coming from a big family, it's difficult to host a family gathering, so every New Year, we will all get together at a hotel or restaurant for a full slap up meal and usually just have immediate family for Christmas Day and have a traditional roast and Christmas pud, with lots of snacks, savouries, cheeses and chocolates for evening.

We always get together at Christmas and at least once a month take it in turns to cook for each other! There ends up being at least 11 of us but we all just muck in and have a great time! Everyone helps out and the kids love it :)

Lots of laughter and reminiscing is what makes the best events - we usually get together at special occasions.

We always make sure that we take lots of photos at our family gatherings. It is lovely to look back at how we used to look years ago.

To me they’re about just sitting down, stopping and making simple decisions together. Which game shall we play, shall we walk to the park with the kids, etc. Putting the mobile phones and tablets down is something that’s so important to make these occasions count

I love the small things that happen every year, like fil taking ages to take the round photo table whilst we are holding rictus grins or everyone having one token sprout. My memories of chilhood are seeing adults in a different light with silly hats and playing games.

After eating, we always head to the living room to play board games - Monopoly, Rummikub - with a couple of drinks for the adults!

A lot of fun and laughter

As a child we always use to go to grandmas ... 6 adults and 5 kids every sunday! It was the best, such fun times. But now.. we don't have that, we don't really have family gatherings as grand parents to our children aren't interested in being involved =( We have friends round though and they are our family. Never stressful and always full of laughs