The red cups are coming!

Now this post is going to be a little... erm, random, but bear with me.

The family Lacey made an intrepid expedition over to Bradford to show off baby George, and we spent almost two hours in the little Starbucks in Centenary Square (not sure why I'm telling you this, as at least 50% of the readers of this blog were present so know this fact already).

Now it was whilst I was there that I noticed the board outside that said "The red cups are coming!" on it. Now obviously this means that it's nearly Christmas, and 'Bucks will be rolling out their Christmassy cups any time now (if they haven't already). I said to Mrs L that we'd have to make sure we came back nearer Christmas to see everyone again and maybe do a spot of shopping. And then I got thinking of Christmasses we have known and loved... (standby for nostalgia!)...

Some of my best memories of working in Bradford are of Christmas time - and somehow or other Starbucks features quite heavily in these memories. Maybe we just spent more time in there to get out of the cold wet weather or maybe those red cups and Chrimbo decorations really did get to me! I remember many a happy lunchtime sitting in the Waterstones Starbucks, looking down on the punters doing their Christmas book shopping, chatting, and then venturing out to do some Christmas shopping (or probably just browsing) of our own. Strangely, Starbucks played an integral part of the annual Christmas party too - I seem to remember heading to 'Bucks in between the lunch part and the evening part and spending a leisurely couple of hours sobering up from lunchtime excess and preparing to get even more hammered in the evening! Ah, happy times.

I realise that it probably never happened like this, but it did in *my* head. Anyone else?

Needless to say, we'll definitely be heading over in December for Christmas coffee-related shenanigans. And when we do, I want you all to have the afternoon off so we can do it properly. Okay?