#MerryChristmasStarbucks was trending on many social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter; however, if you live under a rock and do not use social media, you may not have noticed this. Hopefully, if you are the minority who does not obsessively check their social media apps, you should know that Starbucks has recently been under fire for its annual release of their holiday red cups.
What is the cause of this controversy you may ask? Basically, (some) Christians are up in arms because instead of the company’s typical red cup design of ornaments, snowmen and/or reindeer, this year the company rolled out a minimalist ombré red cup with no designs. Some Christians believe this is Starbuck’s way of saying that it “hates Jesus and Christmas.”
I am going to be honest though. I was disappointed with the lack of decoration on the cups. It isn’t because these cups did not share the message of Christmas, but I really like the minimalist reindeer illustrations because I like the symbols.
However, Starbucks has never once claimed to be a Christian company. In fact, it was once the center of another controversy in 2013 when CEO Howard Schultz told shareholders to sell their stock in the company if they did not support gay marriage. With this in mind, does it actually come as much of a surprise that the company’s 2015 red cup policy is that they are trying to include everyone in the cup and not just those of us who celebrate Christmas?
To these Christians who are have taken issue with the cups, I want to ask if you know the true meaning of Christmas? Is it to stuff Jesus down other people’s throats or is it to spread the message of Jesus through loving others this holiday season? If you are of sound mind, I hope you picked the second option. Christmas is not a season to tell others how they are living the wrong life, but it is a season for love, joy, and peace.
It is my hope for this holiday season that those of us who cannot comprehend the meaning behind these new cups gain some perspective. They are cups, for Pete’s sake. A cup should not be telling the real story of Christmas. What are we doing wrong we have this thought? What kind of a message does this reaction show to those who are not Christian?
