A Very Starbucks Christmas

Starbucks continues to take Christmas criticism from various quarters but I don’t think it is deserved. Donald Trump even wants to create a government register of every Red Cup, or something like that. I don’t visit the place often but when I did over the weekend, I felt positively festive.
I got a tall Vanilla Bean frap and so I got a clear cup instead of The Red One. But I did notice that Starbucks is selling a Christmas coffee blend and markets an Advent product. Check it out.
Starbucks Advent CB
Seems like Starbucks is sending cleverly coded Christmas messages to their customers. I know what Advent means.
And then I saw this gift card option:
Starbucks MC Gift
Merry Christmas!? How could that be? I had to check my location to see where I was enjoying crushed vanilla ice and alternative music. Sure enough, I was still in Starbucks. Confused, I asked myself how can Starbucks be engaged in a war on Christmas with all of this Christmas stuff around?
For a moment, I wondered if all of the Red Cups and references to Christmas and the Advent Code had lured me into some kind of trap from the pit of Seattle. I waited to see if anti-Christmas subliminal messages would bombard me from the sound system. I kept hearing the same music and names being called out by the baristas.
While I waited, the most evil thing that happened was the temptation from the Christmasy-looking baked goods. I settled on the snowman doughnut and peppermint cake pop as souvenirs from the front line of the Christmas wars.
All in all, the whole situation seemed pretty tame, just a business commercializing the Season, which may have been the point in the first place.