How the Starbucks tradition became the ultimate Christmas queue

On By Littum

It’s that time of year again! On Nov. 7, Starbucks welcomed the holiday season by unveiling its latest festive cup designs — four vibrant ones possibilities which fans eagerly look forward to every year.

For many fans, the rollout marks the beginning of a beloved annual tradition that’s as much about connection and nostalgia as it is about coffee.

The Starbucks holiday cup journey began in 1997 when graphic designer Sandy Nelson was commissioned to create the company’s first seasonal cup designs. The first design, a charming pattern of holly leaves and coffee beans, was personally chosen by Starbucks founder Howard Schultz.

“It reminded him of a wrapped gift, like giving customers a gift-wrapped cup of coffee,” Nelson recalled to Yahoo Entertainment, noting Schultz’s enthusiasm for the concept.

The first collection, printed in red, green, purple and blue, was “meant to be a celebration of the season, a special moment in the customer’s day,” Nelson explained, adding that the cups became predominantly red in 1999. ), they can get a different color cup every day, as a little surprise, that was the premise.

Now, 27 years later, Starbucks still debuts fresh Christmas cup designs every November, sparking excitement among its most devoted fans. The season also welcomes Red Cup Day, where customers who order seasonal beverages receive a free, reusable red cup. The exact date has not been announced, but the reportedly could be as early as next week.

For Nelson, who worked at Starbucks from 1997-2011, she takes particular pride in seeing the holiday cups develop into a cultural phenomenon.

“I love that people take pictures of their hands holding a Starbucks holiday cup,” she said. “It has become a predictable tradition when so much else in the world feels uncertain, (and) a little joy in the midst of our busy lives. It is a thrill to see the tradition live on!”

For Starbucks devotees, Christmas cups aren’t just about coffee – they’re symbols of seasonal joy and family tradition.

Bella Boye, known for her impressive collection of Stanley Cupssaid her obsession with coffee products began in middle school, when she and her mother made an annual pilgrimage to Starbucks to collect holiday cups.

“We woke up super early to make sure we got there before they sold out,” Boye told Yahoo Entertainment. Each Red Cup day they were given a new cup that they would use throughout the season.

“Knowing that it happens every year creates even more excitement,” she said. “It creates anticipation because you know it’s coming, but you don’t know what it’s going to look like. I get butterflies in my stomach every year!”

Boye said the cups “give people permission” to go into holiday mode, which never fails to lift her spirits.

“When Starbucks releases their Christmas cups, it’s like the official start of the Christmas season,” she explained. “People think, ‘OK, now it’s time to put up the tree, now it’s OK to listen to Christmas music’.”

Meghann Kriemananother cup collector who has been part of the tradition for six years shares the excitement.

“I can’t miss it. I have to go every year to get cups for the whole family,” she told Yahoo Entertainment. “The excitement has been strong over the years.”

Collecting Starbucks cups has become a family ritual for Krieman. “Most of my family and friends make sure to get theirs too,” she said. “We go as early as possible as quantities are limited.”

Now she passes the tradition on to her own children, who are 3 and 6 years old. “They each get their own cup, just like their mother,” she said proudly.

Kyle Dufordauthor of The brand bookexplained that Starbucks’ iconic holiday cups serve as a unique “holiday cue” for consumers, a visual marker that Starbucks has made its own.

The concept was especially innovative back in 1997, before social media, when holiday cues were limited to things like Christmas music on the radio or Black Friday, Duford told Yahoo Entertainment.

“What Starbucks has done is create a cultural marker,” he said, noting that other brands, like Amazon with Prime Day, have emulated its success by “owning” certain times of the year, but Starbucks remains uniquely tied to the holiday season .

“You develop this emotional connection with the tradition,” Duford said of the cups. “The cup brings people together. When you see someone holding the cup, you think: ‘Oh, it must be a holiday already.’ It makes us feel like we used to when the first carol came on the radio.”

Over the years, the cups proved so successful that “the turnaround time for designing the holiday campaign went up,” Nelson said. “We often worked on concepts many months or even a year in advance.”

The personal connection people feel to the smallpox is no accident, Duford explained. Starbucks, a brand rooted in familiarity and togetherness (even down to writing names on the cups to “add a personal touch”), created a new way to unite customers through shared anticipation of the Christmas cup unveiling.

In doing so, Duford said the company became an integral part of people’s lives, aligning its brand values ​​of “joy and giving and gratitude and thankfulness” that embody the holiday spirit.

For a brand, it’s a win-win. “It’s part of their community aspect — a physical manifestation of their brand’s essence,” he explained of the cup tradition, which has since evolved to include holiday-themed merchandise and annual menu items.

“They’re not a coffee brand,” Duford said. “They are a brand about community and connection that happens to make coffee.”

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