A few days after Halloween, the leaves were still crisply falling, and the remnants of caramel apples and pumpkin lingered in the air. I had just walked through campus enjoying the orange leaves when I heard someone say, “Can I have a peppermint mocha?” That’s when I saw the horrifying posters… red and green snowflake cups! Where are the fall colors, Starbucks? It isn’t over yet!
I acknowledge that holiday drinks taste amazing. They are a perfect boost to mental health during the dark and cold days of winter when seasonal depression is rampant. However, I am definitely not ready to migrate into those holly jolly days just yet. So, I do not appreciate the fact that Starbucks is telling me to get a move on when we have a full month of colorful foliage left.
I find it hard to live in the moment and appreciate the nature of autumn when the new holiday drinks are telling me to get ready for winter. Every year it is the same: we experience an intense buildup to Halloween and pumpkin spice, then the next day it’s Christmas. There is no acknowledgement of the rest of fall!According to their website’s blog, Starbucks began offering holiday drinks on Nov. 3. That leaves us with 28 days until Dec. 1 and 48 days until the first day of winter. Why does this new menu need to be offered so soon? Maybe, just maybe, Starbucks could help us wind down from fall and gradually migrate into the wintery days by offering our holiday favorites starting Dec. 1. This way we could finish the autumn season on a strong note and warm up into the wintery holiday season.
Phoebe Chen (’23) is majoring in English with an emphasis in communications, as well as minoring in creative writing.
