It's almost time for family and friends to start rolling into town for the holidays and that means many of us will be playing host to overnight guests.

I used to think I needed to get up, shower, and be completely presentable in time to pull a breakfast casserole out of the oven at the precise moment my guests ventured downstairs in the morning. Well, that was exhausting. I'm not a "get ready in 10 minutes" kind of girl. I did NOT wake up like this. Also, since we live in Colorado, when guests come from the East Coast they are on a schedule two hours ahead of us. It just makes sense to let everyone get up at their leisure. Time has taught me to make things easier on myself and so I'm passing my new method on to you.

We hosted a family member last week and I offered a "self serve" breakfast of muffins and scones.

It was so easy to just grab a few things at the store and presenting them nicely looks like you went to way more trouble than you actually did. These napkins are too cute. (If you're looking to make a quick buck, just print "y'all" on something and chances are I'll buy it.)

I grabbed these pretty little plates when I got the muffins.

We have a coffee bar that is well-stocked at all times because that is just how we roll over here. Guests can make themselves a cup of coffee or tea whenever they like.

I also made a Christmas verison for you. Just before Halloween I found these bowls at the Target Dollar Spot (which I guess they're calling Bullseye's Playground now) and I was ready to put away all the pumpkins and jump head-first into Christmas. They're that cute.

Target calls these candy bowls but I think they're perfect for cereal!

A variety pack of mini bags is the perfect way to offer options without buying 14 big boxes of cereal. Plus, I'm happy to let visiting kids have the sugary stuff they might not get to have at home. Points for me.

This canister holds spoons nicely.

While some mornings call for an elaborate sit-down breakfast, the busy holiday season is the perfect time to say "help yourself at any time" to guests and steal a few more winks for yourself.