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Family Reunion: The Indoor Picnic

Many people associate family reunions with outdoor venues, but the trouble is that a person can never guarantee that the weather will cooperate.  If you are over the rain delays, sunburns, and sweat stains, then consider the alternatives.  Perhaps the one that will be most appealing is the indoor picnic.  If Mother Nature won’t cooperate, then bring the outdoors in for your next family celebration.

Planning the Picnic Lay the tables with checkered table clothes, use picnic baskets as centerpieces, and prepare a feast worthy of outdoor eating.  No one ever said that barbeque chicken, burgers, and hotdogs couldn’t be enjoyed inside.  Couple these with your favorite summer salads – pasta salad, potato salad, garden salad, and fruit salad.  Create a small condiments bar for dressing the food, and set another table with several coolers, so all of the beverage choices can be kept on ice.

Create the Look Add to the appearance of the space by including elements of nature.  You might take this as literal as bringing in fake trees, or be a little looser in the interpretation by using pinecones and wildflowers in the centerpieces.  The idea is to create the feel of the great outdoors, without the weather variable.

Make Light of Past Disasters If you have had family reunions consistently rained out, then be sure to remember those experiences with humor.  With photo booths being such a big hit for party planners, you might consider a stormy back drop.  Include props such as umbrellas, galoshes, and rain coats.

Don’t Forget the Games While it is not advised that you try to play horseshoes inside, if you have a large enough space, you certainly could set up some of the less dangerous yard games.  Bean bag toss, bocce ball, and ladder golf, for instance, could be played in a large enough venue.