Think about the term “war.” What kind of images does that conjure up? Bullets flying, shrapnel, people dying and destroyed countries. A red cup or a person saying “happy holidays” is not going to cause that sort of damage.

Some Americans celebrate Christmas, some Hanukkah, Ramadan or Kwanzaa and acknowledging these and other holidays celebrated in the month of December is not equivalent to raging a war on anything.

While it seems pretty obvious, Starbucks didn’t intend its new cup design to be an affront to the Christian holiday of Christmas since the cup design has never been Christ-specific since it rolled out in 1997.

Calling the creative decision a war on Christmas is taking it to the extreme and making a mockery of the tragedy that really is war.

Holiday cups should be the last thing people are worried about when we have 101 problems in America that could use our attention.

Solutions that have been posed for Christians to fight back against Starbucks include boycotting the coffee shop and asking the barista to write “Merry Christmas” on the cup instead of a name (they’re even using #MerryChristmasStarbucks to spread the word).

Here are a few alternate solutions for those upset by the cup to consider; If you plan to boycott Starbucks and you’re usually a loyal customer, start brewing your coffee and home and take the money you will be saving and donate it or use it to purchase gifts for one of the many organizations that provides Christmas gifts to underprivileged children in your area or, with Veteran’s Day being timely, donate it to an organization dedicated to helping homeless veterans.

If you aren’t planning to boycott Starbucks altogether, use your energy for the greater good and, instead of asking the barista to acknowledge your religious affiliation, bring your own reusable cup to help the environment and get a discount.

A good way to get through the holiday season without creating any imaginary wars is to focus your energy on the things that actually deserve it.