Jason Lindsay

Our house is the new place for family gatherings… and I love it.

When my wife and I were looking for houses, one of our pre-requisites was: “Can we have Thanksgiving here?”.  My family is large, even by Utah Mormon standards, and so it was important to us that we could have enough room for everyone to enjoy an afternoon comfortably, without feeling squished.

We looked at a lot of houses, and many of them met some of our needs.  But most of them couldn’t meet that one requirement.  So, when we finally found the house we have now purchased, it immediately felt like we could fit the extended family here.  There are plenty of places for people to sit, relax, and talk.  The kitchen is large enough to accomodate a gathering, and plenty of counter space for food.

We’ve already put this to the test, especially with my family’s love of volleyball (or just the competition such a past-time provides).  The big back yard has enough room for babies to run around in, and eventually, the kids will be old enough to seek solace in the treehouse. It also gives the grown-ups just enough space to make fools of themselves on the grass.

Inside, there is just enough room to have an impromptu game of Pictionary when the weather does not cooperate for outside activities. The split-levels give opportunities for people to find their own niche to hang out, either downstairs in the theatre room (with the Xbox and the potential of some Rock Band good-ness), or up in the office to play on the Mac and update your Facebook status.

My mom is a self-confessed hater of large gatherings, although I believe she secretly enjoys them.  But, with the new place acting as the family hub, there is also enough for people to spread out.  So, when Thanksgiving comes, I don’t think she will have much objection to getting the whole clan in one place… even just for an afternoon.