Today marks the Saturday before finals start, a day that for many is filled with studying, studying and more studying. To get your thoughts spinning, try out one of these hot drinks:

1. Hot apple cider. If you are feeling ambitious, make it from scratch using normal apple juice and some spices. However for me, especially when I am trying not to kill too much time, I like to go to a coffee shop and buy cider there. If you have a preferred coffee shop to go to, try it there. The only ones that I really go to on a regular basis are Peet’s and Starbucks, so I am not much help on choosing the perfect place. No matter where the location, cider will definitely get your mind ready for finals.

2. Hot cocoa, but with a twist. Now, normal hot cocoa is out, and different flavors of it are in. My favorites include peppermint and “zebra” hot cocoa. Peppermint hot chocolate is festive and gives your morning a little burst of refreshment. One of my own personal favorite things to do is put a candy cane in the hot chocolate to give it an even stronger peppermint taste and add a little holiday spirit to the cup. For zebra hot chocolate, the only place I have ever found it is Starbucks, but that doesn’t mean its not out there somewhere else. Zebra hot chocolate is half normal hot cocoa and half white chocolate. I am not a huge white chocolate fan normally, but in this drink, it makes it less strong and definitely more tasty. I am sure that there are dozens of other flavors of hot chocolate out there like pumpkin and even more possibilities when talking about coffee, so experiment with something new!

Good luck to all you students this finals week, and for everyone else, enjoy these festive drinks!