Rediscove(RED) Love of Winter

I know, I know....if you follow my blog at all you know that love and winter NEVER go in the same sentence. And this week I wore a wool shirt three days...I was not very happy about this. While thankful for my New Zealand Moreno wool I was sporting this week, I was bemoaning the fact in my head all day that I hate winter. I am so sad that it is coming, I was having flashbacks of how cold I was for the last few months in New Zealand (well, minus those 10 glorious warm days in Fiji...AH Fiji a few good things came out of that trip that make me smile, not just the memories of the warm sunshine). Pretty much I was whining and complaining to my self with a very unhopeful attitude.

I know, really, I live in a warm bed, in a beautiful house with my friends, I have moreno wool, I have lots of Jackets--thank you Sally Lines!--and I have heat indoors (YAY FOR AMERICAN CENTRAL HEATING!!!) Nevertheless, I was whining up a storm. Then it happened. I was sitting in the Bagel shop waiting for a friend that was running a few minutes late. It was as if time stopped for a second and heavenly music started playing when I saw it. I smiled, I got excited and my eyes lit up. The Red Cup.



I know, I know....I hear what you might be thinking, "it's a cup. it's Starbucks, I mean it's no Slow Fish, c'mon. It's a marketing scheme. you don't even like coffee." Yes, yes those are all true. But it's the red cup. I don't know what happens to me when I see the pretty little cup with white snow flakes on it. It makes me excited for Christmas, and Christmas music, and Christmas lights, and it reminds me of all the good talks I have at the time of year when people are holding those red cups. It makes me feel nostalgic and we all know when we are nostalgic we are remembering only the good parts and moments of the past, so it is such a nice feeling. I like good, I like nice...I need more of that in my life. Starbucks are marketing genius'. Second only, of course to Apple (seriously why do I feel like I NEED the latest Apple product that is out...I am not even techy, I mean I am an IT assistant, but come on! It is the shiny new, cool factor that those marketers at Apple have going for them...but I digress)

Anyway, the Red Cup just got 100 times better this year....I know, did you even think it was possible? Starbucks just upped their game and I have to say, "Nice play Starbucks, Nice Play." They joined with Bono (honestly, enough said I can end the blog now, but I will continue for sake of clousre) and his Product Red.

"Each time you buy a (RED) product or service, at no extra cost to you, the company who makes the product will give up to 50 percent of its profit to buy and distribute antiretroviral medicine to our brothers and sisters dying in Africa."

I love Bono's Product Red Campaign....brilliance I tell you, shere brilliance. To make Americans aware of the many crisis' in Africa and giving them a way to do something good with their spending (well...the economic crisis probably doesn't help, but again the genius of Starbucks and Bono to join forces in this time. People are addicted, pure and simple to Starbucks. And people like me melt at the Red Cup and at Product Red...Brilliance....Genius...I wish I thought of that idea....)

So needless to say, I rediscove(RED) why I don't totally hate winter. I am still not happy about the fact that I was in a wool shirt for 3 days and this is the beginning of my winter, but I am not going to lie...the RED cup helps and I have a feeling this little wanna be activist will buy more Red cups this year than she ever has. The irony: I DO LOVE the red cups, but really.....I don't like coffee so I more like the experience that comes with the Red cup and the nostalgia surrounding it...I know I am a hopeless romantic at the end of the day for sure....

Go buy the RED cup and don't feel guilty this year....50% of your yummy drink goes to help people in Africa...pretty sweet deal if you ask me...