The Holiday, Part One

There is something I LOVE about walking into a Starbucks and discovering the holidays are here!

What is it...?  The sweets and the calories?  (Like the 450 calorie grande egg nog latte)  The spending of money?  The meaningless gifts?  ("Here's a gift from Starbucks!  What?  You don't drink coffee?  Who doesn't drink coffee??")

I really think it's something about the graphic design that gets me.  All the red and white.  Sort of vintagey.  Clean and sparkley.  It makes me think of homemade mittens and paper-wrapped packages and pretending not to notice that there's way too much rum in the eggnog.  It's like I grew up on the Dick Van Dyke show.

Pike Place

What IS it I find so damn charming about Starbucks? I was standing in line this morning admiring their artistic collection of promotional items advertising the Pike Place Blend of coffee, which (as if you don't already know) is in honor of the very first Starbucks on Pike Place in Seattle, 1971. The new cup logo (I wouldn't know first hand, I always bring my mug)is a throwback to their original logo showing a siren. But the original logo was too racy, so the later version (the one we probably all know--in green) was just the siren's head. They chose the name Starbucks after a character in Moby Dick. I know all this because I looked it up long ago, so early was my near-infatuation with the "local" coffee shop. What I did just recently learn, though, is that the 3 founders were 2 teachers and a writer. Perhaps my intellect is drawn somehow to their coffee?

Another thing I LOVE about Starbucks is the Pick of the Week. Every Tuesday, they put out a stack of cards on the counter for that week's free song from iTunes. I never remember to go on Tuesday, but they inevitably have some still lying around when I DO go. Has no one else picked up on this? The songs are generally very good! For anyone looking for a worthwhile freebie, I encourage you to go to Starbucks!