Exactly when the tradition started remains unclear. But sometime in the late 1960’s, my extended family began gathering yearly in Miami, Florida. At the time, our numbers were small: My grandparents, my aunt and uncle and their two children, my uncle and my dad. Years passed, more weddings, more babies, and by the late 1980s, our grand total hit the 20 people mark. In those days, my grandparents’ Miami apartment served as home base for our annual trek. They were “snowbirds,” those lucky people who head to warmer climates for the winter months. Part of our crew hailed from Texas, but the rest of us were Chicagoans, so we understood our grandparents' choice to escape the cold temperatures. Still, as a close clan, it was imperative that we not let the whole six months pass without seeing one another. We grandchildren numbered 11, and while our grandparents' apartment was spacious, it was arranged for their lifestyle as … [Read more...]