Holiday drink season has arrived with cafes and restaurants across the country now serving peppermint, gingerbread and cookie-flavored beverages in "red cups." Why it matters: Businesses are capitalizing on holiday cheer to create a buzz and drive sales.

"Red Cup Day," a favorite Starbucks holiday tradition that offers customers free reusable cups, takes place this week -- but there's a catch.

Starbucks is really hard launching the holidays. They're giving away free reusable red holiday cups and have a bunch of new drinks. Wohoo! They really didn't waste any time getting to their holiday menu either as they basically released them right after Halloween. In fact, we'll see a hint of Halloween in their holiday menu. You'll see.