Take cups in stride

Published 7:00 am Thursday, November 12, 2015

Every year, a major coffee chain releases a plethora of seasonal flavors, along with a holiday inspired coffee cup design, to ring in the cooler season.
Lately, the simple red cup the coffee franchise released in late October has been causing quite the controversy.
Critics say the company is waging a war against Christmas by not including “symbols of the season,” such as ornaments or reindeers, according to an article published on CNN’s website.
Company representatives said in the story that, “The cup is meant to be a “blank canvas” that encourages “customers to tell their Christmas stories in their own way.”
My family and I celebrate Christmas. I love listening to Christmas carols, attending midnight Mass and spending time with family and friends. I can’t wait for all the Christmas festivities in Picayune to commence.
However, the release of a red coffee cup won’t deter me from purchasing their products this season.
When I purchased my first coffee of the season, I thought nothing of the red cup. After all, I’m not a fan of busy patterns and prefer a simple design.
I didn’t take the new design as an act of defiance against religion in America.
The design of this year’s cup should be taken in stride.
I don’t believe the company intended to make a statement against Christianity.
We shouldn’t take some things so personally.
Sometimes things are exactly how they appear, and there isn’t always a hidden meaning in need of deciphering.
I believe the holiday cup is red simply because it is.
In this country, we all have a right to practice our own religions and believe what we want. So many people move to America in order to start a new life and practice their faith free from the shackles they were bound to in their homeland.
I don’t believe the company is starting a vendetta against Christmas and people who believe in it. After all, they sell gift cards reading “Merry Christmas” and a “Christmas Blend” coffee.
It’s time to stop reading so intently between the lines when there are no lines to read between.

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