She moans, she grunts, she sighs and huffs, as she laboriously pulls herself up the stairs, hand over hand on the stair rail, mimicking a convict fettered to a ball and chain. Her eyes are mere slits, fending  off the light as if it were some gaseous acid, a black cloud of scribbles over her head like a grumpy Calvin and Hobbes cartoon character. 
 
The Zombie has arisen. 
 
“She lives!” I screech in my best imitation of Dr. Frankenstein upon seeing his monster come to life. 
 
“Mmmphh,” she grumbles from below the tangled hair. 
 
But ten minutes later, she is happy, awake and back to her convivial daytime self — even though I know the Teenage Zombie will return tomorrow morning. 
 
What made the difference? Gourmet hot chocolate, background music, and a warm ambience. 
 
She just had a cup of hot cocoa, served up in her favorite horse-themed mug, whipped up by my fabulous Mr. Coffee 32 oz. Motion Hot Beverage Maker. This mug has Stephen's Gourmet Mint Truffle Cocoa mix crowned with a dollop of French Vanilla Cool-Whip and some Smucker's hot fudge. It has a nice healthy froth like you'd find in the latte shops.

Some fine one-sided conversation about the day's upcoming events and a flip of the gas log fireplace switch gets her warmed up from the inside out, and the outside in. Michael Dowdle's “25 Beloved Carols of Christmas,” the most effective mood music you'll ever find, is playing in the background. Soon, she is back to the sweet, generous, and studious girl we know and love. 

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If you decide to try this with your kids, here are a few tips: 

• Hot chocolate made with a hot chocolate maker leaves you free to shower up while it's working. No mess or gloppy glassfulls result like when you use hot water in a cup. Wal-Mart stocks the Cocomotion Hot Chocolate Maker in season, priced about 28 bucks. It makes four generous, memorable mugs. Simply add the ingredients to the machine, turn it on, and walk away. 

• Try adding two cups milk and two cups water instead of four cups water when adding the ingredients to the machine. No matter what brand of instant cocoa you use, it will taste richer. Two percent milk is fine. Follow it with four generous scoops of cocoa mix. 

• Customize the flavors as needed. My kids like Stephen's Gourmet Mint Truffle, but there are also other delicious brands that come in flavors such as orange and raspberry. Add a dash of raspberry or strawberry syrup, a spoonful of marshmallow cream, or a peppermint dissolved in 
  the mix. 

• Top it off with any number of favorites: Whipped cream in a can, whipped topping of any flavor from a container, or marshmallows of varying sizes or colors. Use your imagination on other holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving. Cinnamon sticks make good stirrers, as do 
  unused peppermint sticks leftover from Christmas. Plastic sipping straws will get them out the door on time if the cocoa's too hot. 

• Every great restaurant has ambient music, so why not try it yourself?  Michael Dowdle's acoustic guitar work is near legendary for creating a great vibe to start the day. Find it here.

These simple tips offer a fun, inexpensive way to make those winter mornings something the kids will remember and look forward to.