My mom and aunt started this event and it has grown to be one of my favorite things we do as a family. We have an annual Palm Sunday Ladies Luncheon. It is a lunch filled with the ladies in our family. I come from a very large Italian family. My mom has something like 50 first cousins. See I told you it was a big family.
Here is how it started. My mom and aunt wanted to get their aunts together and out of the house after a long winter. Well they thought how about we set up a lunch on Palm Sunday. Then they thought how about we invite all of our cousins or cousins-in-laws to attend.
Each year they pick a different restaurant and buy small favors for everyone who attends. Some years the favors have special meaning. One year it was a scrapbook style booklet with my great grandparents marriage certificate copied and a picture of the church they were married in along with the story of their courtship. Another year one of my moms cousins took a large undertaking of making a family cookbook with recipes from each family. It is a beautiful book I will cherish always. Everyone who attended loved it.
There are some rules to the event.
You must be at least 16 years old
You must be related to us either by birth or marriage.
You will not receive a favor if you don't attend the luncheon.
You need to RSVP in order to receive a favor.
One invitation is sent to one representative from each family and it is their responsibility to let everyone know in their family.
So why Palm Sunday? Well because it is a holiday that isn't filled with family get togethers or parties. However if you google when is Palm Sunday 2025 you will know the date of the luncheon. It makes it clear for everyone to be able to fit it in their schedules or not.
We have had years where there were over 50 women attend and we have had years where 12 are there (those are some of my favorite years.) It is a chance for our busy family to come together and catch up. It is a time where the woman can spend together away from the kids and husbands. Everyone is so busy that getting together is harder and harder and this event maybe the only time we will be able to see each other all year. We laugh, we cry, we have a great time filled with memories, favorite family stories and good food. What more can you ask for??
Every year I walk away with such an amazing sense of pride because I am a part of family filled with fantastic, strong, brilliant women.
Have there been issues? YES. The rules have to be followed or there is trouble and hurt feelings. Example the age rule. Children are not allowed with one exception newborn babies. If a mother is breast feeding and can't be away from the baby it is understood. EVERY female in the family is invited. Even when some aunts, sisters, cousins, wives, mothers don't like their brothers, sons, male cousins wife or girlfriend it doesn't matter. She is still invited. That rule keeps feelings from being hurt. The rule about the favors is kept so that again feelings aren't hurt. You attend you get a favor, you don't attend you don't get a favor. It really is as simple as that.
Will this tradition keep going? In a word. YES. Even if it is just me and my daughters this tradition will never stop. It will carry on, just as it has lasted for 14 years and counting. Every year I can't wait and look forward to the Palm Sunday Ladies Luncheon.
It doesn't have to be a Palm Sunday luncheon but create a family tradition. Believe me it is worth it. My daughters are counting down the years until they are able to come. I look forward to my daughter-in-law attending it with us.
I hope you enjoyed reading this and have an idea for a new family tradition.
Thanks for stopping by.
Mrs. Fife
