STARBUCKS. COWARDLY EXPLOITERS OF CHRISTMAS. IT'S JUST GOOD BUSINESS.

Those confused about Jesus, 2015

Dammit! They're taking Christmas out of the commercialism!

Charlie Brown

I just don't understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed. Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?

Lucy Van Pelt

Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.

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The selling of red cups of coffee is not a war on Christmas as many have claimed, wrongly. To claim that Starbucks execs are waging a war on Christmas is quite the stretch. Never have Starbucks sold a cup of coffee with any depiction of the nativity scene, which is what Christmas is all about — a celebration of the birth of Jesus the Nazerine.

Starbucks Vice President of Design and Content Jeffrey Fields equally lied when when stated, “This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories.” 

Now, here is reality. Since 1997, Starbucks execs have tried to exploit Christmas and the Christmas gift buying season as most retailers in the USA have done for at least 100 years. Through their winter cups, execs have tried to trigger memories about winter, likely, in hopes of increasing sales.

Cowardly, though, no one from Starbucks stepped forward to say that Starbucks seeks to increase sales during the Christmas gift shopping season and for that reason, they seek to attract Christian shoppers into their stores in hopes of selling coffee and other merchandise. Of course, when anyone from Starbucks says, "Happy Holidays," what they are saying to you is Merry Christmas. For more on that, check out SAYING HAPPY HOLIDAYS IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Likely, Starbucks execs decided to cut costs by having a cheaper red cup made. Perhaps they shaved a fraction of a penny per cup but over millions of cups, the outlay adds up.

That said, Starbucks execs missed a golden opportunity to market themselves by depicting persons on their cups sharing coffee and other Starbucks merchandise in acts of gift giving.

It's only a cup. If you keep loving, kindness and patience in your heart and let those qualities guide your action, not even red cups will bother you. If you give tolerance to those lost at least some might turn toward you and follow you.


 

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SAYING HAPPY HOLIDAYS IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING MERRY CHRISTMAS

If you read the title, you read English. The concepts that words label don't change to suit the needs of anyone. However, when enough misuse a word over time, mistakenly, many believe that word has taken on new meaning. One of those words is holiday.

Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst (1620)

Holiday is the Old English word haligdæg. To Old English speakers the word meant Christian holy day, consecrated day, religious anniversary; day of rest. To Old English speakers holiday had no other meaning.

When Old English speakers wanted to speak of other people and their religion, Old English speakers would say demonym adjectives prefacing the word holiday.

To English speakers, other people and their other religions do not have holidays. They have days of significance to their religion.

Americans came to say the phrase happy holidays as a Christmastime greeting, which the sellers of Camel cigarettes introduced in advertising to Americans in 1937.

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