Families ?

If you add into the mix, the one that lives 100 miles away from my home to the three offspring that live overseas - one of in China, another in New Zealand, plus the one in France; then it gets really tricky. Making sure that flight and pick up times coincide and the trip down the M5 to the one with a house big enough to accommodate everyone is OK with all of us - but we manage once on roughly a yearly basis.
Exhausting.
But we like to do it.
Family is so important as I feel many more people have realised during the past 4 months.

That sounds like quite a feat and I'm amazed/impressed that you manage it as often as annually. Where there's a will, right enough. Bravo.

Maybe you should send a ‘Save the Day’ card as seems the thing these days for weddings. They are sent many, many months in advance though

Everyone is always busy, that’s the way it is these days, we always get together around a target date, rather than the exact date.
I always get my eldest daughter to liase with the others, then they tell me the date, not everyone comes every time but they are pretty good.

It’s reassuring to hear you all have the same problems. It was suggested that we all get together at our cottage by the sea, I. August. DD and children will stay over. Two sons and their families just for the day. All sorted. Taxis both ways for DD . Then yesterday a text from Son in law saying could we make it the weekend before or after as DGD receives her A level results the day before we go and might be emotional if she hasn’t got the grades she’s hoping for. For goodness sake! She’s 18! And I’m certain she will get good grades as she’s worked so hard. I said Sorry, No can change! ?

I actually prefer smaller gatherings with each of our 3 kids and families. If we all get together the AC spend the whole time together while we slave feeding everyone and sorting the grandkids. Time with each individual family is much more precious!

Me too BoBo but the GC like to get together and if it wasn’t at our house, they wouldn’t see each other

BoBo53

I actually prefer smaller gatherings with each of our 3 kids and families. If we all get together the AC spend the whole time together while we slave feeding everyone and sorting the grandkids. Time with each individual family is much more precious!

But,surely there is a place for both.

We see all the individual families on an ongoing basis and then have a 'bash' once or twice a year.

I have given up with family gatherings. I used to enjoy them but the family structure has changed and I can't face them now. Such a shame.

They all have busy lives, as the children grow up they have their own commitments and frankly I think they do much more than we did 30 years ago! But I admit I was very disappointed that DD1 and family will be away next weekend which is the 50th anniversary of our wedding. I hadn’t done a “save the date” because I suppose I thought they might have remembered but that’s life. As I said to them, I just don’t want to spend that weekend on my own.
The other DDs and families can come which is the most important thing to me and I have included sisters in law (who were my bridesmaids) and BIL.
Not really calling it a Golden Wedding as Paw only made it to the 47 year mark, but still a date to commemorate.

Congratulations Mawb
I'm sure you will have a lovely time pondering all the wonderful memories of your 47 years with Paw
Enjoy the company who will be there with you... we never know everything that's going in in another person's life or the reasons they 'choose' not to be with us when we wish they were.
I believe a happy marriage lives on so Happy Golden Wedding Maw
You will have a lovely celebration