How to handle visit from father in law?

He has been estranged from the family for the ped 8 years or so. When we knew him/had contact with him he was the type to leave business cards and company catalogs at your family dinner table (when invited to dinner). Always talked about work or tried to get you to buy something, never asked how you were or tried to get to know his grandkids. When our son was born we took him to see him to get a picture for his baby book and he wouldn't hold him for the picture. (You guessed it - he is divorced from my husband's mother). Anyway, he's been gone 8 years now - moved out of state and didn't give anyone his phone # or address. All of a sudden sends a postcard and says he's coming for Thanksgiving, followed by a short phone call. We want to give him a chance and hope he'd like to get to know his grandkids ( he saw our son as an infant only once and never met our daughter). Just don't know how I will be because it will be awquard at first. Thanks for your advice. Who knows, he might not come.