Starbucks red holiday cups. To most people, they are simply a means to getting water filtered through coffee beans into their mouths in an easy, non-burn-y way. But to some Christians across the country, they are cause for a backlash against the company. Are these new cups a threat to Christmas? Let’s get you caught up on how this issue came about.
On November 3, Starbucks released this year’s holiday cup design: simple, plain red. In the past, their red cup designs have contained Christmas lights, reindeer, and creepy winking snowmen. But the past couple years have been much more simplistic, leading to the basic color we see today. But this flat choice has sparked major controversy across the country and even the world. Former Pastor/person-who-doesn’t-account-for-where-the-donations-he-recieves-go Joshua Feuerstein has been among the leaders of the fight against Starbucks, claiming that the cups take “Christ” out of “Christmas.” This led to the passive aggressive hashtag #MERRYCHRISTMASSTARBUCKS as enraged Christians tried to take back their holiday and/or red cups in the same way Jesus would: by tweaking their coffee orders.
Donald Trump has even said that “maybe” there should be a boycott against Starbucks (though there is a Starbucks in Trump Tower).
Meanwhile, Starbucks execs have made the very fair claim that this new design has nothing to do with a war on Christmas. It has to do with diversity, inclusion, and simplistic design production. But the battle of the ‘bucks wages on.
What’s your take on the stir surrounding the Starbucks red cups?
