Swiss Miss Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa

For the person who starts thinking about pumpkin spice before the leaves turn, Swiss Miss Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa offers a reason to skip the latte. It gives the seasonal flavor a hot chocolate setting, which sounds right for an evening on the couch when coffee has already had its turn. The novelty is simple enough to explain without a gift tag doing much work.

This limited-edition cocoa mix comes in a two-pack with Joyful Selection protective packaging. That makes it an easy addition to a fall gift basket, or something to bring into the office kitchen for fellow pumpkin-spice loyalists. The seasonal flavor does narrow the audience: someone who likes their hot chocolate to stay strictly chocolate probably won’t welcome the change.

I’d put this alongside a mug and a few snacks rather than make it the centerpiece of a present. It’s a small seasonal gesture for the friend whose autumn drink order is predictable, but who might enjoy giving the espresso a night off.