CHARLOTTE—The upcoming holiday season has some companies seeing green, with their biggest sales of the year around the corner. But it's also got some of their customers seeing red.
Customers are angry over what some characterize as attacks on Christmas.
Starbucks is making headlines with bold red cups, a break from their 17-year tradition of holiday designs on cups.
Starbucks customer Kate Moore in Charlotte deadpanned, “Those are holiday? They're just red. I don't see how those are holiday.”
Evangelist Josh Feuerstein got more than 12 million views with a Facebook video in which he said, “Do you realize that Starbucks wanted to take Christ and Christmas off their brand new cups? That's why they're just plain red.”
He's calling for a modified boycott.
“I asked for my coffee, they asked for my name. And I told them my name is 'Merry Christmas.'”
In the video, he holds up a cup which says, “Merry Christmas.”
Starbucks says the cups are meant to be drawn on, so they can be inclusive of anyone’s holiday story.
The coffee company isn’t the only brand in hot water with purists of the season.
SouthPark Mall made national headlines with a “Santa Glacier Experience.” Christmas defenders lashed out on social media with #BringBacktheTree.
Like Doug Ethridge, many people poked fun at the glacier’s egg-like shape.
“It really looks like [Santa]'s going into space!” said Ethridge. “I'm not so sure that's so good.”
Executives at Simon Properties, which owns SouthPark Mall, say they’ve heard their customers. They’re now replacing the glacier with a tree.
While some Christmas defenders are talking about boycotts, Chris Stone with Faith Driven Consumer is talking about buycotts.
“We see that a buycott is a real natural progression of our faith,” he said.
Stone claims Christians are less known for speaking with their wallets.
“We're trying to make a positive change in that. Let's be heard!” said Stone.
He has a database where Christians can see which companies are better at promoting Christmas.
Though the flaps aren’t about religion for everyone. Some people just don't want their holidays watered down, even if it's just with a tiny ornament on a coffee cup.
“A little... decoration would be nice on them,” said Moore.