Originally Posted by
tropit
OMG! Who has to cook all of that food? Who has to clean it up? That's very nice of them.
Everyone brings dishes to share. A Signup Genius app sends an RSVP email and a list of what food is needed for guests to sign up for. The husband cooks two different turkeys and a ham, and the pastor's daughter gives all the wee ones rides on their horses. The older kids play football in their fields and pickelball in their driveway. She leaves it up to the rest of her family to get all the food set out. It's very organized, and the pastor's daughter has five children of her own to help her clean up what the guests didn't the next day. They built their house with the idea of hosting these types of gatherings frequently. It's a warm (but loud) atmosphere of happy adults and children.
Thirty of the cousins live in the immediate area, and the other two are close enough for them to commute for the holidays. Many of the grandchildren are double first cousins since two brothers married two sisters. Those cousin relationships are awesome.