Tis the season for gingerbread lattes, and lots of Instagram pictures and Snapchats with the #FirstofMany or #FirstoftheSeason. The red "holiday" cups are finally back at Starbucks. However, they are not what all the basic white girls would typically consider holiday cups. The typical "holiday" cups we all know and love are usually red with white designs that spread Christmas cheer. The white designs included everything from reindeer, Christmas trees and ornaments, to a playful snowy scene, that only a seasonal latte could warm up.
This season, however, there seems to be more tension over the "holiday" cup debate. Starbucks released their new and improved holiday cups, which are just strictly red. There is no designs, or any Christmas cheer surrounding the cup, just the color red and the standard Starbucks logo. Of course, many Starbucks fans were disappointed with the change in design. The "holiday" cups no longer spread Christmas cheer.They are just about equivalent to a Red Solo cup with a Starbucks logo slapped on the front. There is nothing classy, sophisticated, or overall basic about a red cup to hold your expensive chai latte. Red cups are made for the cheap liquor girls can barely afford on the weekends because they spend their weekday mornings paying for overpriced coffees in a festive "holiday" cup.
Starbucks released a statement explaining, "This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories.” The color red is one that we relate to the holiday season and Starbucks assumed the best way to keep the holiday theme pure was just to stick with the color. This way the cup could welcome all religions and be open to all holiday traditions. Since religious views are so different amongst the population, companies tend to change their ways to appeal to all religions with a product. Starbucks also stated that the plain red cups are supposed to supply as a "blank canvas" that encourages "customers to tell their Christmas stories in their own way." The Christian faith, however, had a backlash to this comment and a very strong opinion on the situation.
A group of Christians has attacked the company for "hating Jesus," with the removal of the festive designs from the holiday cup. The heat did not end there. A pastor from Arizona, Joshua Feuerstein, posted a video to Youtube explaining that Starbucks, REMOVED CHRISTMAS, in hate against Jesus. Feuerstein advised Christians watching his video to tell the brats at their local Starbucks that their name is "Merry Christmas," so that the cup would contain festivity again. This is a prank that Feuerstein is plotting in order to get the true "holiday" cups back at Starbucks.The video rant has been shared over 400,000 times and has been seen by over 12 million people.
The controversy has continued with comments and posts all over social media. One pointed out that the company removed Christmas symbols from the holiday cup, yet they still continue to sell gift cards at the store that say, "Merry Christmas" on them. You do not see gift cards saying "Happy (insert a non Christian holiday here)" being sold in the store, yet there has been no complaints on this.
All in all the holiday is a time for coming together and spreading holiday cheer and warmth regardless of your religious beliefs.The holiday cups may not be the traditional ones that we are all used to but the color still spreads holiday cheer and that is something we should all feel merry about.
