Is your entertaining emergency kit ready?

I recently saw a public service announcement urging me to have an emergency kit at the ready.  As I listened, I immediately thought of a potential disaster: unexpected guests or a desire to spontaneously entertain – and a need for quick beverages and easy party nibbles.  Would I be ready?  I quickly realized that I had been living on the edge – daring fate to come my way.  I was shocked out of my complacency.  I vowed to reform.  I would stock my house with an emergency entertaining kit.  I would always be ready!  And, in a pinch, I am sure this stuff would double up for use in case of a natural disaster – or I will be able to leverage it to get what I need from other folks who packed more mundane supplies.

How do you create an Emergency Entertaining Kit?  It seems easiest to start with the basics.  It can be helpful to store some of these supplies together, so they are at the ready when you need to pull a party out of a box.  Other items are routine parts of your household: glasses, plates, utensils, etc. which you do not need to store with the rest of your emergency supplies.  For your kit, have a package of cocktail sized napkins and votive sized candles with a few candle holders on hand.  The cocktail napkins are a versatile size and you will be glad you have a package at the ready.  The candles can be a quick and easy way to make your home look more festive – or like you planned for you guests arrival.  A critical decision to make – and one that requires personal honesty is: to pack a corkscrew or bottle opener in your kit.  If you can say with confidence that you could put your hands on those objects in your own home in 20 seconds or less, you probably don’t need separate equipment for your kit.  If you need more than 20 seconds to find them and anticipate there will be much searching before you put your hands on them, do pack and extra set.

For unexpected guests or impromptu entertaining, beverages and nibbles are a great baseline.  It would be unlikely that an unexpected guest would expect you to provide dinner.  But, if you are going to spend time chatting, providing something to drink and nibble is a great way to make sure your friends feel truly welcome.  It is helpful to have some non-perishable items always on hand that can be a backbone for your Emergency Entertaining Response Plan.  Before going out to shop, think about your circle of friends.  It may sound obvious, but it is worth mentioning: your Emergency Entertaining Kit will do you the most good if it is geared toward the tastes of your guests.  Most of us have a relatively regular circle of friends.  Think about the best staples for that group.  For example, I am not currently friends with the Queen of England.  We just haven’t had time to make the kind of connection that would result in true friendship.  Knowing that HRH is not in my inner circle, I am not going to stock my Entertaining Kit full of tea (or gin) – it will never be used and it will be a struggle for me to think of quick nibbles to go with them.  Second, think about what people expect when they go to your house.  It is a good idea to think about ways to balance your personal brand with the preferences of your friends when you are building a reliable Kit.  Don’t try and constantly stock a large variety of ‘emergency’ items.  Keep it simple.  Some recommended beverages include:  sparkling water, champagne, hard apple or pear cider, beer, lemonade.  Nibbles with some shelf-life:  mixed salted nuts, chocolate covered pretzels, a jar of bruchetta, and wasabe peas or cracker mix.  At a very minimum, a combination of non alcoholic beverage + alcoholic beverage + one or two of the nibbles may be all you need to be prepared.  Not having to think about those details can make the difference between a stressful evening with friends and a relaxing one with memorable laughs and conversation.  And, the beauty of it is that the items described above aren’t fancy.  But, they are slick – they a paired down and simple – perfect because they could not be refined any further.

And, as with less interesting emergency kits, it is important to rotate the supplies.  Which in this case is great – because if you haven’t had an unexpected guest within three months, then you need to have an impromptu mini-party.  And, so the emergency entertaining kit can serve double duty – make sure you are prepared in case the unexpected happens and ensure you are reaching out to your friends and entertaining on a regular basis.  Appropriate supplies and running practice drills are the foundation of being prepared.  Put your kit together and be ready for an opportunity to entertain.  Sometimes the unexpected get together results in the best memories with our family and friends.  And, missing those opportunities would be a true disaster.  Be prepared!

Relevance: emergency entertaining preparation, easy spontaneous low cost entertaining