I remember the first time I tasted happiness.
I was 11-years-old, and it was the week of Thanksgiving. Christmas excitement was already beginning to unfairly edge out Turkey Day, as it does every year. At my house, we had thirty members of my extended family over for dinner. My parents were focused on small details, like whether to get two or three turkeys and how to organize tables for throughout the main floor of our house to fit everyone.
My family hosted Thanksgiving for many years when I was growing up. When Thursday would roll around, my dad would have to save my mom from the distractions of my siblings and I. He would take us for lunch at one of the few places actually open on Thanksgiving. That year, we were a bit pressed for time because my dad had to pick up ice at Walmart, so our normal full meal outing had to be minimized down to just coffee.
I was fine with this because, like every middle schooler, I had officially crossed into the adult world by becoming a "coffee drinker." Keep in mind, this meant I ordered vanilla bean frappuccinos and other sugary drinks that barely deserve the right to be classified as coffee. Nonetheless, my newfound coffee habit made me feel quite sophisticated over my brother and sister and anyone else who was not yet old enough to order a drink at Starbucks.
However, this particular trip to Starbucks was different. It opened my eyes to something that would change my life.
The Peppermint Mocha.
Even though my house lacked any hints of Christmas on Thanksgiving (crazy, horrible, and unthinkable, I know), I asked my dad if I could try a holiday drink, and he agreed. It came down to a choice between a Peppermint Mocha and an Egg Nog Latte, but in the end, I decided on the Peppermint Mocha because I really had no idea what the heck egg nog tasted like. I really did not want to take a chance finding out on my first holiday Starbucks drink.
The moment that I carefully lifted that red, cardboard, environmentally-questionable cup to my lips, I knew my life had changed forever. The perfect mix of warm, sweet chocolate counterbalanced by an unexpected twist of peppermint made time freeze. It tasted like the holidays. It was sitting around a warm fire. It was the ultimate cure to a cold. It was like the ultimate cure for anything.
Since this momentous day in my life, Peppermint Mochas have become a key part of my holiday season. However, this year, there has been a rather ridiculous controversy surrounding the red cups at Starbucks. Each year, the cups have a different design. They are always red cups, but they have some fun holiday-themed design that changes each year.
This year, Starbucks opted for a rather simple design for their new cups. They might be a bit boring, but they are fine. It is the drink that really matters. However, many people have claimed that these cups are an attack on Christmas by Starbucks.
Come on.
Have these people not been living in modern day America? I am a very religious person and a practicing Christian, but I think it is naive to say that the holiday season is just about the birth of Jesus. To me, the birth of Jesus is the most important part and what we should be focusing on. Yet, I think that today Christmas really has two sides to it, a secular side and a religious side. Despite its large number of followers, Starbucks is not a church, and the type of Christmas celebrated by Starbucks is one that is very secular. If Starbucks started selling red cups with pictures of Jesus on them, Christians probably would be getting even more angry.
Our society today is almost trying too hard to get rid of religion in many ways, but I think it is wrong to oppose everything out there that is secular. I celebrate Christmas in the Catholic tradition, and I believe it is important to focus upon religious aspects of Christmas as a Christian. However, I really do enjoy the secular aspects of Christmas like the lights, holiday specials, Christmas movies, decorations, holiday sales, decorating a tree, making cookies, exchanging cookies, and of course, drinking Peppermint Mochas.
Christmas should be about bringing people together, and I think all these non-religious holiday traditions can do that. Plus, the holidays are not just about Christmas. There are many other holidays, religious and non-religious, that are celebrated at the same time. There is Hanukkah and Kwanzaa which are really meaningful and important celebrations for many people. I admittedly do not know much about them, but I know they bring people together the same way Christmas does for me. It is important to see the holidays as a time of happiness and thankfulness.
Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, whether you are religious or not, I think the message of the holidays is universal. It brings people a sense of joy. Starbucks is just trying to bring a bit of happiness to people during the holiday season with fun holiday drinks and festive colored cups. The accusation that they are trying to start some campaign against Jesus and Christmas is just ridiculous and actually pretty amusing. This holiday season, I am going to continue to enjoy my red cup drinks and to try and spread a little joy to the people in my life. The holidays make me really happy, and if a coffee company can make people happy by serving them fun holiday beverages in simple cups, that is one Christmas miracle.
