It’s that time of year again! On November 7, Starbucks welcomed the holidays by unveiling its latest festive cup designs—four vibrant options that fans eagerly await each year.
For many fans, the rollout marks the start of a cherished annual tradition that’s as much about connection and nostalgia as it is about coffee.
The journey of Starbucks holiday cups began in 1997, when graphic designer Sandy Nelson was commissioned to create the company’s first seasonal cup designs. The first design, a charming pattern of holly leaves and coffee beans, was personally chosen by Starbucks founder Howard Schultz.
“It reminded him of a wrapped gift, like offering a gift-wrapped cup of coffee to customers,” Nelson recalled to Yahoo Entertainment, noting Schultz’s enthusiasm for the concept.
That first collection, printed in red, green, purple and blue, was “intended to be a celebration of the season, a special moment on the customer’s day,” Nelson explains, adding that the cups became predominantly red in 1999. “[Before that]they might get a different color cup every day, as a little surprise. That was the starting point.”
Now, 27 years later, Starbucks still introduces new holiday cup designs every November, creating excitement among its most devoted fans. The season also welcomes Red Cup Day, when customers who order seasonal drinks will receive a free, reusable red cup. The exact date is not yet known, but it could reportedly be next week.
For Nelson, who worked at Starbucks from 1997 to 2011, seeing the Christmas cups become a cultural phenomenon fills her with a special sense of pride.
“I love that people are taking pictures of their hands holding a Starbucks Christmas cup,” she said. “It has become a predictable tradition, while so many other people in the world feel insecure, [and] a little joy in the midst of our busy lives. It’s great to see how the tradition lives on!”
The magic of the red cup
For Starbucks lovers, holiday cups aren’t just about coffee; they are symbols of seasonal joy and family tradition.
Bella Boye, known for her impressive collection of Stanley Cups, says her obsession with coffee items started in high school, when she and her mother made an annual pilgrimage to Starbucks to collect Christmas cups.
“We woke up super early to make sure we got there before they sold out,” Boye told Yahoo Entertainment. Each Red Cup day they picked up a new cup, which they would use throughout the season.
“Knowing that this happens every year adds even more excitement,” she said. “It builds anticipation because you know it’s coming, but you don’t know what it’s going to look like. I get butterflies in my stomach every year!”
Boye said the cups “give people permission” to switch into holiday mode, which always cheers her up.
“When Starbucks releases their holiday cups, it’s like the holiday season officially starts,” she explained. “People think, ‘Okay, now it’s time to put up the tree, now it’s okay to listen to Christmas music.'”
Meghann Krieman, another Christmas cup collector who has been part of the tradition for six years, shares the excitement.
“I can’t miss it. I have to pick up cups for the whole family every year,” she told Yahoo Entertainment. “The excitement has remained strong over the years.”
Collecting Starbucks cups has become a family ritual for Krieman. “Most of my family and friends make sure they get theirs too,” she said. “We are going as early as possible as quantities are limited.”
Now she is passing the tradition on to her own children, who are 3 and 6 years old. “They each get their own cup, just like their mother,” she says proudly.
Brewing togetherness
Kyle Duford, author of The brand bookexplained that Starbucks’ iconic holiday cups act as a unique “holiday cue” to consumers, a visual marker that Starbucks has made its own.
The concept was especially innovative in 1997, before social media, when holiday cues were limited to things like Christmas music on the radio or Black Friday, Duford told Yahoo Entertainment.
“What Starbucks has done is create a cultural signature,” he said, noting that other brands, such as Amazon with Prime Day, have emulated their success by “owning” certain times of the year, but Starbucks remains uniquely tied to the public holidays.
“You develop an emotional connection to the tradition,” Duford said of the cups. “The cup brings people together. When you see someone holding the cup, you think, ‘Oh, it must be the holidays already.’ It gives us the feeling we were used to when the first Christmas song came on the radio.”
Over the years, the cups proved so successful that “the lead time for designing the holiday campaign increased,” Nelson said. “We were often working on concepts months or even a year in advance.”
The personal connection people feel with the cups is no coincidence, Duford explains. Starbucks, a brand rooted in familiarity and belonging (even writing names on cups to “add a personal touch”), created a new way to unite customers through shared anticipation for the cup unveiling during the holidays.
In doing so, Duford said the company became an integral part of people’s lives, aligning its brand values with those of “joy and giving and gratitude and thankfulness,” which embody the holiday spirit.
This is a win-win situation for a brand. “It’s part of their community aspect – a physical manifestation of the essence of their brand,” he explained of the cup tradition, which has since evolved into holiday-themed merchandise and annual menu items.
“They are not a coffee brand,” Duford said. “They are a brand that is about community and connection and that is what makes coffee.”
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