Living in Ann Arbor, when I hear the words ‘red cup’ I imagine a red solo cup. Typically one that is filled with lukewarm beer or a disgusting mixture of cheap vodka and off-brand mixer. However, now that the date of November 1st has passed, there is a new red cup being sported around campus…and this one you can bring into class.
Starbucks has officially unveiled their 2013 red holiday cup, and as usual, the obsession with the spirited coffee containers continues. Each year the company creates a new design, and this year’s is pretty sleek: a nice bright red with a geometric design featuring various holiday flowers. The cup holds holiday specials like peppermint mochas and eggnog lattes, along with the Starbucks standard fare.
Starbucks holiday cups have turned into a pop-culture phenomenon. The country’s Twitter and Instagram feeds blew up with pictures and commentary when the cups were revealed, and most of the reactions were positive. “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” began the day the red cups hit the streets.
However, the cups appeared in stores on the first weekend in November. Although I am an avid lover of Christmas, now just does not seem like the holiday season to me. Students were still walking by Starbucks in Halloween costumes when baristas starting serving Gingerbread Lattes. Did the company forget that Thanksgiving hasn’t happened yet?
Even though I’m personally fan of Starbucks coffee (and I don’t really mind the cheery red cups), I do think the early introduction of the cups not only says something about Christmas, but about Starbucks as well. It is no secret that Christmas has become incredibly commercialized…but is Starbucks manipulating our love of red and green holiday cheer?
While the introduction of the red cups this early may be ridiculous, it also makes a weird kind of sense. The holiday season and Starbucks coffee are like the ultimate drug addiction, and when they combine forces, they can make people do crazy things … like start celebrating the holidays November 1st.