65 Years of Family Reunions Done Right

Sing along with me. You know the tune.

“We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to be known;
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His name, He forgets not His own.”

Aren’t the holidays fabulous? If you are old enough to remember the words of this hymn, reunions that gather the family at holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are still meaningful to you.

Traditions are important, but I’m betting your family can’t top the holiday reunions of the families of Joan and the late Jim Byrum. They moved to Mentone more than 20 years ago, and their family does reunions right – and have for 65 years and five generations.

Perhaps more astounding is that the family includes upwards of 285 people, always around Thanksgiving. The event rotates between South Carolina and Alabama.

“We rent an entire camp every year to have room for everyone,” Joan says. “Of course, not every relative gets to come every year, but we usually have about 150 folks every year, and our family is spread out over 10 states.”

Food is pretty important with that many cousins, once-, twice- and more-removed. And don’t think it’s about women doing all the cooking.

“I come from a large family,” she says. “We have 32 first cousins. Only eight are girls, so the men play an important part in the cooking, as well. The men have a biscuit cook-off every year, and it’s serious business. Bragging rights are a big deal.”
So are the rest of the meals.

The gathering begins with a variety of soups – all homemade and brought to the campsite, of course – on Thanksgiving eve and while breakfast the next morning is certainly large, imagine how huge the traditional Thanksgiving meal is, with turkey and dressing and all that goes with it.

“That’s why we must have a commercial kitchen,” Joan says. “We have at least six turkeys, several hams, and salmon cooked on wooden planks for those who prefer fish. Everyone brings their own favorite casserole, of course. More than one table is dedicated just for desserts.”

Every camp lodge has a plethora of what we would call church tables, so imagine a dozen or more laid end to end in an L-shaped configuration. It takes at least that many to accommodate all that meat and every side dish and casserole imaginable. The men may specialize in meat and biscuits, but you better know the women have passed down a lot of secret family recipes in more than a half-century of loving each other. They have even printed a cookbook of family recipes.

The evening meal on that special day is also unique.

“After a big breakfast and lunch,” Joan says, “we have a simple supper of turnip greens and cornbread, nothing more. It’s perfect.”
The tables are always an elaborate affair, as well.

“Every table has a centerpiece, and they all match, as does the centerpiece in the entrance hall. We have a family football game every year, the ladies have a Christmas ornament swap, a pretty impressive talent show, and photos. We have a professional photographer every year to take photos of the large group and pictures for family units as well,” Joan says.

Food is always an important way to celebrate Thanksgiving, but this reunion goes beyond that.

“We have singing, lots and lots of singing and praying. We always begin the reunion with a prayer and singing ‘We Gather Together’ to start the event, and we recite the 100th Psalm.”

That’s not a psalm everyone knows, but it’s all about thanksgiving, worship, and praise. Look it up and it will make you want to make a joyful noise yourself.

The annual gathering is an elaborate affair, complete with much coordination and planning, followed by an after-action evaluation to see what might have been done better. But it’s all about love of family and sharing and gathering.

“We celebrate our heritage, of course, but we are really rooted in our family faith and ethics. We always said our grandfather was the rock of our family and our grandmother was the pillow. We want to stay in touch – we need to stay in touch – remembering those who came before us and honoring them as well.”

Singing, praying, feasting, and promising to return for the next reunion sounds like the ideal way for families to celebrate their special heritage.