Hospitality Secrets

I asked these three women to share some of their secrets. They offered suggestions for preparing a hospitable home for both planned and unplanned visits.

Make a first impression. Create a feeling of warmth for your guests from the moment they enter your home. Kim offers these suggestions for creating a pretty and appealing entrance. “Put a nice rug outdoors, a wreath on the door or a nice plant on your porch. It’s easy to find things that are pretty and not have to spend a lot of money. For years, I shopped at discount stores, dollar stores and deep clearance items for decorative touches...I like to put those plug-in air fresheners in one of the outlets closest to the front door so that it smells nice when first entering. You can also put a few cinnamon sticks tied together in a nice basket which will also serve the same purpose and not be as costly.”

De-clutter daily. Margee’s kids clear their own clutter from the main living areas each evening. At my house, we call this “Zamboni Time.” Much as a zamboni machine clears and re-finishes the ice at an ice rink each night, my children re-set the living room to its proper condition at the end of the day.

Start with yourself. Margee suggests, “Start each day with making your bed, getting out of your PJs, showering and putting on your face. Hospitality is hard to convey if you are in your PJs when a surprise visitor arrives.”

Stock your pantry. All three hostesses have favorite food items that they keep on hand for unexpected guests. Kim says, “Cheese and crackers go a long way, and when put on a pretty tray with a few springs of parsley or some grapes, you look fabulous!” Dawn stocks up on chips and salsa and keeps tortillas in the freezer for quick personal pizzas or quesadillas. Margee serves up a favorite dessert: Warm brownies topped with ice cream and fudge sauce. For last minute dinner guests, she relies on her freezer supply of browned hamburger to make tacos, spaghetti, or other quick recipes.

Have a quick clean-up plan. Dawn uses the “box trick” when she has guests arriving. She carries a box around the main living areas of her house, collecting all the leftover clutter: her son’s paintball mask, her daughter’s art supplies, extra shoes, and her husband’s measuring tape and screwdriver. The box disappears into the basement until all guests have departed. Margee adds this warning to the quick clean-up trick, “Make certain you go back later and get it out. Otherwise you may miss a bill to pay. Experience talking!”

Put your oven to work. If your dishwasher is already full of dirty dishes, store the remaining dirty kitchen items out of sight in your oven.  Just be certain that your spouse or roommate knows about the oven stash before preheating the oven for dinner!

Keep disposable wipes on hand. Make quick work of dust in the living room, food spatter in the living room, and toothpaste residue in the bathroom with a quick wipe down. Many brands are also safe for children to use, so enlist their help!

Use your time wisely. Margee says, “I always want to do more than time allows...To overcome the time challenge I try to keep things simple.” Kim suggests making food ahead of time and setting your table the night before you will be entertaining. She offers this assurance, “Serving off of nice paper plates is ALWAYS an alternative to using your everyday dishes.” She adds flair to paper products by tying ribbon around the utensils or napkins, setting the plates on a nice tray with a pretty cloth, or setting paper items on a plate tier.

Try being spontaneous. If your friends keep busy schedules, finding time to get together can be difficult. Sometimes a spur of the moment get-together works best. If your house is unsalvageable, even using the box trick and disposable wipes, agree on a favorite restaurant, and take your hospitality on the road.

In the end, it’s not about you. Hospitality is a gift, something to be given to new acquaintances and dear friends. Dawn’s challenge is “to think outside of myself and focus on those around me so that I can be ready to reach out to others without being asked.” Margee focuses on the real investment: “People, not things.”

My friend arrived at 9:30 on that messy Saturday morning. The Rice Krispies were gone, courtesy of a disposable wipe. A few baby toys remained, but the laundry and paperwork had vanished into a box in the closet. We sat on the couch, sipping chai tea and sharing Christmas vacation stories. My make-up wasn’t done, the house wasn’t spotless, but the hospitality was perfect.

Sarah and her husband, Doug, are stationed at Ft. Drum Army Post in Watertown, New York along with their three children: Rachel, Robert and Laura.