Starbucks does a great job of marketing. They extend their brand in many directions, perhaps expanding too quickly and outgrowing their markets. However, they typically have a good grasp on the seasons and their customers’ tastes during certain periods of the year.

So now when you pull through a drive thru at Starbucks – and let’s face it, the drive thru at Starbucks is remarkably fast, compared with Subway for example – your coffee is contained by the festive red holiday design, complete with pine trees and doves.

Maybe it’s the little things, commercial as they may be, that you notice at the end of a long week.