It’s that time of year again where several stores already put out their Christmas stock before their Halloween sales end.

When Starbucks phases out their classic cup design with their yearly holiday design, the holiday shopping season unofficially starts.

In 2015, Starbucks revealed a plain red cup as the design, causing outrage among religious groups that stated the cup wasn’t Christmas-y enough. In 2016, another cup was released that showed several drawings of people smiling, with the intention of celebrating unity during the election. People mistook the special run as the holiday cup design and outrage ensued again. Starbucks released the real cups a week later, decorated by various artists with a variety of holiday-themed designs.

This year, the coffee company released a mostly black and white design, encouraging customers to color in the cup and share their individual creation. The entire design of the cup is a tribute to the 20-year anniversary of the first holiday cup. In years past, Starbucks has allowed customers to submit their own designs, which inspired this year’s concept. This is also the first year in recent years that the base color of the cup is not red, but white.

In addition, the holiday cup-sleeves read “Give Good,” Starbucks’ 2017 holiday campaign. The company released a 30-second commercial for the campaign with its press release.

The cups have more Christmas symbols this year to keep controversy at bay, but why does that matter?

When did we let a single company define what is Christmas. Christmas is going to come, whether Starbucks or any other store is celebrating it in a way people deem properly. There’s no reason to attack a store for choosing to celebrate the holiday season in a different way.

Christmas is such a commercialized holiday that every store knows how to capitalize on it. An article from 2015 shows that many department stores like Target and Wal-Mart already had Christmas trees for sale starting in late September. Stores are getting into the spirit before it’s socially acceptable. Even Starbucks will switch out their fall drinks with their holiday drinks the day after Halloween.

If one company is choosing to not get 100 percent into the holiday mood, another company will just capitalize on the controversy. There’s more than enough Christmas spirit to go around, so if one company isn’t satisfying your need for it, then shop elsewhere.

But next time you want to criticize a company for something as naive as a cup, reconsider your definition of Christmas.

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Twitter: @BethanyWadeTWW