Since its debut in 1997, the Starbucks Red Cup has truly morphed into an iconic symbol of the holiday season. While its annual release generally garners an onslaught of rose-tinted Instagram pics and good cheer, this year’s unveiling has been met with an unexpected dose of anger. So what’s got people so heated? Apparently, it’s the simplistic design.
One evangelical pastor from Arizona has proclaimed that Starbucks “removed Christmas” from its cups because “they hate Jesus,” and even started an anti-cup campaign under the hashtag #MerryChristmasStarbucks.
Starbucks VP of design and content Jeffrey Fields explains that the intent was to invite “customers to create their own stories on our cups.” Seems pretty harmless, but to quote Twitter user @Brythemusicguy: “Leave it to Americans to get pissed off about a cup of coffee without snowflakes on it.”
Personally, we think this year’s subtle ombré design is classy. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!