Mister Spiffy Spreads the Word
Word – n. News, information.
Mister Spiffy Says:
"I love getting the mail. It’s always bills, but that still
means that someone out there cares that I’m alive. It’s so
comforting."
Once you select a date and a location, it’s time for that big,
no-turning-back-now step – sending out the invitations. Once you
work up the nerve, make sure you send them out as soon as possible
to give the guests a fair amount of notice. You want to give
everyone a chance to put the date on their calendars, juggle
their schedules, and plan their vacation time.
After you’ve tracked down addresses for everyone – or as close as
you’re going to get – design and mail the invitations. Then, a
few weeks before the reunion, send something else out – a small
little reminder to each family. You know how they are. Mister
Spiffy is like that too.
You can use your computer to keep in touch with family, too – if
you weren’t aware of that already. Your family newsletters, e-mail
and online chats can help you keep in touch with everyone out
there on this stretching sweep of planetary mass until the next
family reunion.
The Invitation
This is normally the first exposure that your family members have
to the upcoming reunion. It may take them a moment to get over
the shock, so don’t make it too surprising. Make it neat and
interesting, clean and orderly, to build up interest for the
reunion. If necessary, mention that it is a Mister-Spiffy-Authentic
reunion – that always gets the masses pouring in. You can use any
simple word processing program or paint program to make the
invitations, but a program specifically designed for this would
probably make it a little easier. There are lots of drawing
programs out there – Mister Spiffy has tested out most of them
and found a bunch of good ones – that are designed to create
cards, invitations, name tags, certificates, and anything else
you could possibly want for a family reunion.
Here is a program that will print invitations,
name tags, certificates and other reunion related printouts.
Use the invitation as the first introduction to the theme you’ve
chosen for the reunion. Even if all you use is a word processor,
Mister Spiffy suggests buying special decorated paper to spice it
up a bit.
The content of the invitation should be clear, and definitely
include –
- Date, time, and location of the reunion.
- Contact person’s (in other words, "your") phone number and
address. Don’t assume everyone has it – if you had to hunt them
down, they probably don’t know yours, either. Just presume that
everyone is as unorganized as you are.
- A description of the exciting upcoming event.
- Cost per person or family and what is included in the ticket
price, if you are charging admission fees. If any items are
extra, be sure to state those and the cost.
- Payment procedure.
- A pre-addressed response card or form. If your family is on
the "cheap" side, you might want to put a stamp on it as well
(and get those 33 cents back with the admission fee).
- Directions on how to get to where the fun is.
- Mention if the guests should bring along any special clothing
or equipment.
Following Up
A few weeks before the reunion, Mister Spiffy always appreciates
it when he receives a small reminder about things that he had
probably forgotten. Include what the weather is likely to be, a
synopsis of all the planned reunion activities, and a list of
items that guests should bring. If you’re doing a genealogical
thing, Mister Spiffy says that each family should bring old
photographs and family heirlooms to display throughout the
reunion. Always remember a polite and sincere "Thanks for your
interest, can’t wait to see you at the reunion" message at the end.
Keeping In Touch
In generations long past (like when Mister Spiffy was a kid), most
family members lived within only a few miles or even a few blocks
of each other. You were able (or perhaps forced) to interact with
all of your extended family daily. Today, that’s not the case.
It’s not unusual for there to be hundreds of miles between
relatives and months between phone calls and letters. (Except
Mister Spiffy – he writes to his dear old mother every week).
Staying united as a family is not easy. Your home computer can
make keeping in touch a little bit easier.
- Invite your relatives who have computers to join in a family
online chat.
- Send out a family newsletter several times a year.
- Create a family homepage, where you can post family pictures
and information.
- Create a family directory, with names, addresses, birthdays,
and pictures.
Mister Spiffy’s Helpful Hints
– Mister Spiffy wishes to inform the masses of fans he has out
there that invitations are a very, very important first impression.
There’s not much else to say other than make them good, for the
reunion’s sake.