Yuletide Lattes

Call it holiday. Call it Christmas. But there will be a certain festivity at Starbucks this season.

The firm is handing out 500,000 Cheer Pass cards, and encouraging customers to engage in random acts of kindness.

To prime this, Starbucks is treating customers to taxi rides, gift cards, small Christmas trees and admission to events. And that's supposed to put them into such a warm mood that they do nice things for others.

For example, they might pay for a Mocha Latte for the next person on the line at Starbucks.

“What we are trying to do is create uplifting experiences for customers and show them how much we appreciate them,” says Brad Stevens, VP-marketing for Starbucks.

Meanwhile, givers and receivers both can go to www.ItsRedAgain.com. and tell their stories. And they can share their family traditions and photos with the Tradition Keeper, a mythical online character. Then there are the events and eggnog latte samplings. All that's missing is a little holiday rum.