The Starbucks logo is still green.
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A few groups are not feeling the festivities, however, as this year’s relatively minimal cup design has convinced a couple Christian groups that the coffee chain is waging a “war on Christmas” by not being festive enough for the season. But in the past the cups also featured holiday decorations.
According to Starbucks’ website, the design was meant to “give people a piece of calm”, but it appears the cup has done just the opposite. But not this year.
Pretty much immediately, photos began popping up all over social media with coffee drinkers showing off their handwritten “Merry Christmas” messages on their plain red Starbucks cups.
Oh hello, #RedCups Welcome back.
“In the past, we have told stories with our holiday cups designs”, Jeffrey Fields, Starbucks vice president of Design & Content said in the statement.
“Starbucks has become a place of sanctuary during the holidays”, Fields said.
But somewhere along the way the traditional symbols of the holiday season that adorned cups past were missing. Simon Calvert of the Christian Institute asked. Haven’t they heard it’s the most wonderful time of the year, and the season of good will to ALL men?
Following the decision, Starbucks flew the Pride flag atop its Seattle headquarters – a tradition it started the year before during the annual Pride Week parade celebrating gay rights.
“It’s not exactly Christmas”, he said, “It plays to people in the middle, because it’s something they would have all year around”. The story was even highlighted in an article titled “War on Christmas” in Breitbart, which details the alleged “cleansing” of Christianity in the West. Other comments from Christians on social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, are threatening to boycott Starbucks, claiming the company is “running away from Christianity”, and that they “Hate Christians but love our money”. In the past the cups had reindeer, vintage ornaments and snowflakes.
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This shouldn’t be too surprising, though. It’s the same company that once told a Philly police officer that they didn’t want him in their store-and the same company that closed its doors to legal gun owners.
