It looked so good on paper—a week in a Caribbean villa with my two sisters, their children, and mine. By sharing, we cut costs, gained more space than a hotel room and added such luxuries as a private pool. The rental house in Jamaica, our first villa rental, gave us time to reconnect instead of merely catching up between the turkey and apple pie at family gatherings. From the grade-schooler to the 20-somethings, the cousins bonded. Over Scrabble on the veranda we laughed at anecdotes about Grandma Ray, who rationed French fries for svelte Aunt Ellie every Sunday because Ray told Ellie her bottom would grow too big. My nephew spoke about the difficulties and triumphs of teaching middle school, and my niece shared her joy at starting work at a New York City magazine. My son helped his cousins hone their golf strokes and taught his aunts tennis serves. …