A ‘Starbucks Christmas’ is more Pinoy than you think
A friend, whom I owed a favor, messaged me the other day: “I’ll wait for you at Starbucks. I have to start getting stickers for my planner, anyway,” she said.
So I asked if she wanted one of mine, from the Starbucks Christmas fair held recently at Shangri-La Mall. “You can have my planner, unless you like the challenge,” I said.
This merited a good few seconds of “...is typing…” on our chat screen. I could tell she was thinking about it. “I don’t like the challenge. I want the planner. Is it the mermaid one?” she finally replied.
Later on I would find out that a lot of people actually like the challenge of collecting stickers (maybe equivalent to consuming a Frappuccino every other day, if you want to be first) for the Starbucks planner. My friend? She’s just coasting because she has me.
A “Starbucks Christmas,” however un-Pinoy that sounds, has become a part of our December traditions. Every year, we await the time when we can finally grab a sticker card and start collecting. It’s a game, it’s a challenge, it’s a source of equal parts stress and glee. Christmas is just not the same without it (those who are on a diet experience it by association — there is always that one friend who’ll gladly ride a jeepney instead of Uber so she can get a Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino (I’m looking at you).
This year, Starbucks rolls out new holiday flavors and merchandise. Starbucks Handcrafted Beverages include the Santa Hat Dark Mocha, and returning favorites Peppermint Mocha and Toffee Nut Latte. This year’s Starbucks Christmas Blend, the Espresso Roast, can be enjoyed in two formats: the whole-bean variety Starbucks Christmas Blend Origami and the instant kind, the Starbucks Via Ready Brew Christmas Blend.
Starbucks Philippines head of marketing Keith Cole says, “I think our Christmas items are really for gift-giving. We usually see a peak right before Christmas, when people are doing their last-minute shopping. I love the excitement during Christmas; everyone is in a celebratory mood, and we’re happy that Starbucks has become a great part of that.”
“Cinnamon, spice, and of course, toffee nut, are really North American flavors associated with Christmas, and I love how Filipinos have really embraced them,” he adds.
Despite our adaptive nature, Starbucks continues to evolve and cater to our Pinoy needs — like our need to nest and make ourselves really, really comfortable. “We’re trying to add softer seating — more seating. In our market, customers tend to stay longer, versus in North America where it’s really a grab-and-go business,” Cole says.
I can imagine how this would come in handy this holiday season, with all of us just needing a place to chill and breathe, listen to some Jose Mari Chan, and enjoy a Cranberry Bliss Bar (it will really bring out the Christmas spirit in you), in between some manic shopping.
