I see cups of red...

Besides the return of such classics like Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" on the airways, another holiday staple I eagerly await involves Starbucks' Holiday Trio. More than the Gingerbread Latte (my favorite of the three) however, I am looking forward to the seasonal "red cup". Last year, their "red cups" recreated conventional yuletide scenes, encouraging the association between warm fuzzies and Starbucks. Yes, it worked on me; I'm a sap.

I stumbled across a Starbucks Gossip blog, which included the tidbit that their holiday campaign will begin on November 9, at least in the States. The yet-to-function seasonal site address is pegged to be www.itsredagain.com.

The Starbucks blog, who's self-proclaimed role is "monitoring America's favorite drug dealer," contains quite the cornucopia of information. Any articles written about the coffee giant are linked to and discussed. Two stories from the month of October that intrigued me:

• Champagne with your coffee? A couple hold their wedding reception at a Starbucks (hm, not a bad idea...)
• Out out, cheap patron! The debate over the so-called "ghetto latte" (I think I'm a Starbucks snob - frugal customers should go elsewhere for their iced latte fix. If you're at Starbucks, you should be prepared to pay a premium for the quality, service, and atmosphere).