The post Starbucks touts Christmas coffee after flap over red cups appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
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The war on Starbucks alleged war on Christmas was launched by Arizona evangelist Joshua Feuerstein, not Mr. Coffee, Folgers, Maxwell House or Dunkin Doughnuts.
The coffee company has received criticism for allegedly trying to secularize Christmas after it announced that this year it would be providing a solid red cup for the holidays.
But those who are in support of this change and don’t really mind plain cups are pointing out the fact that Starbucks is still promoting Christmas blends amongst other flavors.
While Dunkin’ Donuts’ new cup doesn’t explicitly wish customers a “Merry Christmas”, it does include what appear to be boughs of holly or pine tree branches. But perhaps to the chagrin of evangelical coffee drinkers, its statement on the cup controversy didn’t use the word “Christmas”.
Starbucks, however, has never identified itself as a Christian brand and its red cup designs have never shown anything remotely Christian. Feuerstein put out the call to believers to tell Starbuck baristas that their name is “Merry Christimas”, so that the slogan is still placed on the cup.
There are many more problems to worry about this holiday season instead of Starbucks’ cup design.
While the cup doesn’t explicitly say “Merry Christmas”, on social media many questioned whether the “Christmasy” design was a jab at Starbucks’ plain red cup. There are many people in this country who don’t celebrate Christmas. “Seriously, I don’t care [about Starbucks]”.
He then noted the Trump Tower in Manhattan is home to a successful Starbucks location and implied the red cup debate might bring about the end of its lease.
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The controversy extended beyond the Internet and into the realm of politics on November 9, when Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump even weighed in, suggesting that maybe there should be a boycott against the company. “We’re embracing the simplicity and the quietness of it”, he added.
