Update: Reese's just posted the following tweet in defense of its Christmas tree blobs. Other brands take note, this how you shutdown internet crazies.
REESE'S celebrates trees of all shapes and sizes. It's not what it looks like, it's what it tastes like. pic.twitter.com/8KURar00UX
— REESE'S (@ReesesPBCups) December 2, 2015
This story was originally published on November 28.
The hubbub was deafening earlier this month as Starbucks unveiled a pared-down, simple red holiday cup — a stark contrast to the snowflake-laden or ice skate-bedecked sippers of years past. Some 'bucks regulars found the minimalist, ombré cups — "a bright poppy color on top that shades into a darker cranberry below," according to the company — to be a snooze. Some conservative Christian groups even proposed a boycott (with flames fanned by Donald Trump), as Starbucks was clearly trying to eradicate Christmas.
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@ReesesPBCups Does this look like a Christmas tree to you?? #Christmas #Reeses #IIIShowYou pic.twitter.com/GqCIH99zBa
— Bucky Keen (@DoomBucky) November 2, 2015
Now, another all-American brand is drawing fire and ire for its holiday 2015 rollout. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups offers a range of holiday-inspired offerings every year: bells, snowmen, and trees. But this year's crop of trees have fallen way short of expectations, according to many consumers. As Eonline.com reports, festive Reese's lovers are discovering that "instead of a festive Christmas tree shape, the candy is instead just a blob of nothing."
In years past, the chocolate-covered peanut butter trees had distinctively sharper angles, resembling a fir. This year's harvest seems to be a bit different, as many Twitter account holders have testified.
What kind of tree is this??@ReesesPBCups pic.twitter.com/wwvSjVZjHd
— Faith (@FaithKTrewhella) November 11, 2015
@ReesesPBCups THIS AINT NO TREE!!!! pic.twitter.com/ZcBHpphhPx
— Ricky Olivares (@gaybiden) November 22, 2015
Fans of each brand have come to the companies' defense on social media, suggesting that there are far larger issues to worry about in the world.
For the people who are complaining about the shape of the Reese's Christmas trees... you know you're supposed to eat them, right?
— Travis Clark (@thatguytravis) November 28, 2015
It all begs the question: Exactly how much holiday cheer do companies owe the public each year?
One company that isn't holding back with its holiday iconography is Coca-Cola. Old-school, rosy-cheeked images of Santa Claus have popped up on the company's cans this year. As Adweek reports, Coke is also continuing its popular "Share a Coke" campaign, "encouraging people to share a Coke with 'Santa,' 'Someone Nice,' 'Someone Naughty,' 'Under the Mistletoe,' 'Elves,' 'Secret Santa,'...and 'Mrs. Claus.'"