Don Senneville and Jim White
We all love to celebrate the success of small business owners who, through hard work, creative vision, and loyal employees become global. Think Starbucks in a garage in Seattle or Mr. and Mrs. Claus in the workshop heated by a wood stove at the North Pole. What a vision they had! Now Santa, Inc. has the largest global network on the planet. Move over Elon. Those highly paid Elves and well-fed, humanely treated reindeer always deliver. This is capitalism at its finest: fun, lucrative, and shared freely with all. Merry Christmas from Santa, Inc. and Subsidiaries.
However, we at The CUP prefer to celebrate the successes of our own Coffee Row establishments. Our mission is “to discover and enjoy local coffee within the view of Black Mountain”.
There are family owned and operated coffee shops, each of which radiates its own personality or “vibe” in our two towns. Not surprisingly, several have used the Santa thing to offer some unusual coffees, e.g., one has pistachio, oatmilk, espresso with a candy cane and whipped cream. It was delicious and was recommended by Ron, Koffee King of Karefree. Don stuck with a drip dark roast with a lot of half ‘n’ half. We love our little shops, but we will respect the Santa influence as we welcome the Snowbirds to our two towns.
Speaking of capitalism, Don heard that Christmas tree farmers are having a tough time due to the weather this year. So, he decided to go local (Mingus Mountain) and cut down his family’s tree this year. A free, guilt free, locally sourced tree, no problem. The logic of this is complicated. Especially since it’s fairly well known that Don’s favorite place to get a Christmas tree is from Lowe’s. Where is Cave Creek’s Ranger Rita when we need her? Closed. Anyway, Mingus Mountain is in the Prescott National Forest, so Ranger Rita would have no jurisdiction. Have a permit? No problem. All of this could have taken another turn if Don’s relative hadn’t brought a 100 year-old Don Roberto tequila to Thanksgiving dinner. We’re wondering what Santa drinks (reindeer milk lattes?). He’d have to keep a cool head, given all his business responsibilities. Why does the lead reindeer have a red nose? Would you go with an Uber driver with a red nose? Does Santa own Amazon and UPS? Does Santa deliver to Moscow and Beijing, or Berkeley or Rocky Point? Is this where and why
Secret Santas began?
We have progressed from just one guy, aka Santa, guiding a bunch of animals pulling a flying sled full of “chimney-sized” presents, to becoming now a world where we can order a pair of Christmas socks and have them at the front door by dawn! Thank you Santa for this amazing global evolution of Christmas Capitalism. Truly the magic of the holidays.
So, wrapping up this second year of The CUP, we would like to thank all our readers, former students, and fellow coffee nuts for all the laughs and good times in 2024. We will continue to cover local coffee news in 2025 on Coffee Row, in the shadow of Black Mountain.
Also please write to us at The CUP, [email protected]. A special thank you to Tom and Melissa, our editors. The CUP is 2 years old!
