Starbucks, however, has never identified itself as a Christian brand and its red cup designs have never shown anything remotely Christian.
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Folks, if you’re not a fan of Starbucks as of late based on their whole red holiday cup controversy – speaking to you, Christians – then you may want to head over to Dunkin’ Donuts.
Ellen DeGeneres has weighed in on the Starbucks holiday cup controversy and she has a couple of festive solutions if the coffee chain’s red cups aren’t jolly enough for you.
To a few, they seemed a convenient contrast to the plain, crimson-colored Starbucks cups. While a few social media users have praised the minimalist design, others think the cups are a “war on Christmas”.
According to Starbucks, the new cup offers a space for customers to create their own designs.
An investigative field trip to a Starbucks on L Street in Washington revealed that the coffee company also sells gift cards that say “Merry Christmas” (second row from top, right hand side). Not once have the cups they push out during the holiday season denoted anything geared at a certain religion.
The Starbucks version has sparked criticism from conservative groups and a viral campaign by social media personality Joshua Feuerstein, who claim it’s another example of Christmas being removed from the public eye.
The Dunkin’ coffee cups send a clear message the company is embracing Christmas symbols. “That I can tell you”. We said farewell to Starbucks’ beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte (see ya next fall!) and are now entering a season taken over by the Peppermint Mocha and Gingerbread Latte.
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The iconic red cup has featured several winter-themed designs since it first appeared in 1997. “You know, I’d probably have a chance to let them know, ‘By the way, I would have bought a few coffee today if you had had a cup with Christmas ornaments on it or if you had a cup that was clearly Christmas, but I’m not, so that’s money you’ve lost”.
