Starbucks

Is it bad that every year when Starbucks announces the arrival of the red holiday cups that I get overly excited? I actually throw a minicelebration and one of my best friends Cindy and I have a long conversation over our respective holiday beverages.

My biggest problem now is that there is a Starbucks literally 20 steps away from my office and another just one block from our front door. Every day I have to walk by a Starbucks and see the visions of the red holiday cups in the windows. I pass people on the streets sipping from their brightly colored containers, steaming in the cold air. Even the homeless on the streets have these wonderful reminders of the holidays.

To make matters worse, I live two blocks from a Starbucks and if I go for a walk, I am always tempted to drop in just to see if those baristas will remember my face and my drink. I think after a few more weeks of regular visits, it will become another of my “Cheers of coffeeshops.”

Each day, I get at least one email or phone call from a friend or colleague asking to partake in cup of holiday cheer. Yesterday, as it happens, I had three. And yes, I went three times. And yes, that cost me more than $10 in coffee. TEN DOLLARS! I KNOW!!!

What is it about Starbucks that draws us in every time? The coffee really isn’t that good. I am convinced that they over-roast and that makes their brews a bit bitter to me. Perhaps it is the fact that at my little local shop, the baristas know me and know what I want when I walk in the door. Again, maybe that is because I am there every day. Is it the atmosphere—walking into a warm space with comfortable chairs and the smells of brewing coffee? Is it a status symbol to walk around with the Starbucks cup in your hand, screaming to the world, “I just paid too much for this cup of coffee?” Or is it just ingrained into our society and we just do it because it is there?

Regardless, there aren’t many “little things in life” that can make me smile like a grande, non-fat, light whip, mocha in the red holiday cup. It is one of those sinfully delicious treats that always brightens even the gloomiest of days.

Word on the street has it that Dunkin Donuts is moving in next door to my office entrance, even closer than Starbucks. And I do love some Dunkin Donuts coffee. And I just hate to be a cheater too. I hope my baristas don’t get too jealous.

Be well, friends, and enjoy a cup of coffee this holiday season!