‘Tis the season to be jolly, and get into the holiday spirit – It’s that time again when Starbuck’s offers their feature red holiday-themed cups and luscious seasonal java.

Christmas is also the season when many over-indulge, resulting in holiday weight gain. For those who want to beat the bloat, Starbuck’s provides many options to cut the extra fat and calories out of your cup.

“Everyone should be able to grab a delicious drink,” said Starbuck’s Brantford location employee, Lisa Adams. “All of our customers can skinny their drink or load it with whipped cream.”

This year featured holiday drinks range from the peppermint mocha, gingerbread, eggnog, and caramel brûlée lattes; all of these flavours can be made “skinny.”

“Skinny” is Starbuck’s famous term for shaving calories in your favourite drink. By adding the world skinny to your drink title, a Starbuck’s employee will know to opt for non-fat milk, switch to sugar free syrup, and hold on the whip cream.

“I’m not a fan of Starbuck’s until Halloween and Christmas because I’m obsessed with the pumpkin spice latte and peppermint mocha,” said student Miranda Griffin. “I try to get a tall because it’s only one-hundred calories.”

The “tall” is the smallest size Starbuck’s offers, in an 8 ounce cup. For those who go for larger sizes can choose a sixteen-ounce “grande” or a twenty-four ounce “Venti.”

If you’re watching your waistline this Christmas or just saving room for more turkey dinner, watch out for larger sized lattes – Fully loaded holiday drinks can boost up your calorie count by nearly 500 calories.