Tuesday was Election day, so in the universe that Starbucks inhabits, that means it’s time to bring out the full holiday menu and red-and-green cups. While you’ll never catch me whining about the availability of peppermint mochas, this is an important bit of consumer information which helps prove mathematically that Christmas Creep may be coming to an end. Maybe.

Why? Our departed colleague J. Alex Chasick hypothesized that the date Starbucks brings out the red cups is a national index of Christmas Creep. In 2009, the holiday cups appeared on November 3rd. In 2007, they appeared on November 8th. If the trend continues, the holiday cups will debut only a few hours earlier. Say, 6 PM on November 1st.

Not that many people are all that upset. The blog Eater reports that people seem to be reacting with a strange joy, and quoted a Twitter user who claimed to be “literally having an anxiety attack” while standing in line at Starbucks. Really? Maybe you need a decaf egg nog latte, sweetie.

Starbucks Unleashes Holiday Cups Two Days After Halloween [Eater]

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