Woke Christmas defenders should be pleased with the 2016 edition of Starbucks’ holiday cup. A year after the seasonal release was lambasted by some as being "anti-Christmas," Business Insider reports the Seattle-based coffee behemoth has added a little extra cheer to this year’s design.
Though they’re not in circulation yet, one sneaky employee posted a photo of the new cups on the r/Starbucks subreddit. Whereas the 2015 cup was solid red with a green Starbucks logo in the center — that’s not Christmasy enough, apparently — this year’s has a nice wintry design, perhaps inspired by bare branches covered in snow. Hopefully these to-go containers won’t ruin anyone’s holiday Christmas season.
Perhaps even more exciting for ‘Bucks enthusiasts, there may be more than one cup design this year. A redditor responding to the leaked photo says, "I peeked as well and there are three different designs in each sleeve!" Folks, hold on to your hats.
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Like the new version, previous Starbucks cups featured whimsical designs to brighten caffeine addicts’ moods during the long, cold winter. The Great Red Cup Controversy of 2015 can be traced back to a video posted to Facebook by Christian internet evangelist Joshua Feuerstein. "Do you realize that Starbucks wanted to take Christ and Christmas off of their brand new cups?" Feuerstein asked in the video. "That's why they're just plain red. In fact, do you realize that Starbucks isn't allowed to say ‘Merry Christmas' to customers?"
It became such a hot issue, Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump weighed in and floated the idea of boycotting the company: "If I become president, we're all going to be saying 'Merry Christmas' again, that I can tell you."
Yeah, good thinking with a snazzier design this year, Starbucks.
• A Starbucks Employee Revealed What Looks Like This Year's Red Holiday Cups [BI]
• Starbucks’ Red Cup Controversy, Explained [E]
• All Starbucks Coverage [E]
