How to Entertain an Unexpected House Guest with Minimal Stress

Your day is moving along smoothly without bumps and then it happens. You receive a phone call, letter or email informing you that you will be called upon to entertain an unexpected house guest that day or within the next few days. How many of us have received such news? Out of the blue, you receive this unexpected news and you are not too happy. After all, you were looking forward to having a relaxing evening or weekend at home and that period of relaxation did not include your entertaining a house guest. Whether you received the news by phone or in person, the result is the same: anxiety and stress. Having experienced this situation from time to time, I have developed a strategy that helps me confidently plan for entertaining unexpected house guests. I have listed some suggestions that may be helpful in entertaining and keeping your sanity and diminishing your stress level in anticipation of entertaining house guests. I learned from trial and error and now I feel more assured and comfortable in entertaining the occasional unexpected house guest that crosses our humble thresh hold.

After the initial shock, determine that you will treat your guest courteously and hospitably. Extend a warm welcome just as you would want to receive if you were a guest. You never know, you may be entertaining an angel unawares or your guest may really need to receive the hospitality that you offer. Yes, it may be inconvenient, but in the end, you want your guest to feel that he is welcome into your home and is not an imposition. Quite possibly, they already feel that they are "cramping your style" on such short notice.

If possible, find out what your house guest does not like to eat. No need to diligently and painstakingly prepare meals for someone only to find out that they do not like lima beans or are allergic to tomatoes. A little research beforehand will save time and aggravation later. Knowing the guest's eating preferences makes it much easier to prepare a menu that will be enjoyable for your guest.

Have a store of emergency dinner menus and recipes that you can "pull out of the hat" on short notice. Once you know your guest's eating preferences, you can easily make adaptations to your meal planning. Having a collection of recipes and meals allows you to save time in trying to develop a meal plan from scratch.

Keep your pantry and freezer stocked with basic food items. When you do your food shopping, you will already have on hand some needed items. I have found recipe websites that give you menu ideas based on what you have in your pantry or refrigerator. You simply write in the items that you have and the website comes up with ideas about what you can make with your cooking staples you have on hand.

Let's face it, often the reason we are reluctant to entertain guests is the financial toll it can place on our food budget. With our uncertain economy and every dollar being stretched, I long ago started to put aside a few dollars weekly to be sure that I had a modest entertainment fund to add to cash on hand. It has helped me to minimize the stress that we often experienced in our early years of marriage when out of town guests suddenly appeared on our doorstep. Out of those experiences, I have found that I can entertain much easier if I have some money set aside for such entertainment. When I save money shopping for groceries, I actually take the amount saved and reinvest it into my "entertainment fund". We recently had an unexpected house guest and thankfully, we were prepared and the guest later thanked us for a wonderful visit and rest.

Have a list of nearby attractions or activities that you can offer to take your guest for enjoyment and leisure. With a little effort and perseverance we can find local events and activities that would be appealing to our house guest. With our recent house guest, my husband found some unusual attractions and activities that did not break the budget. We looked in the opening pages of our telephone book that lists local attractions and visited websites to round out pleasurable activities.

So, when you receive the news that you will soon be entertaining an unexpected house guest, take a deep breath, smile and resolve that you are in control of the situation and will be the confident and obliging hostess that you know you can be. You may find that the experience is not as stressful as you thought it might be and even more importantly, you may be ministering to someone who needs and will appreciate your thoughtfulness and hospitality.
Remember, years from now, your house guest may not recall the meals he/she shared with you, but your kindness, thoughtfulness and warmth will never be forgotten.