According to Starbucks, once Halloween is over it’s officially time to break out the tinsel and count down the days until Christmas. Christmas, the best holiday of the year, is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Nov. 1 marked the start of the Christmas season for Starbucks and those who awaited the red cup to be unveiled got their holiday fix, while others were highly offended by the plain, red ombre cup.
The cup design starts with a bright, poppy shade of red at the top and moves into a deeper red near the bottom of the cup. The goal of the design was to make the cup minimalistic and modern. By eliminating the usual festive elements, such as snowflakes and snowmen, a multitude of people have felt personally victimized by the Starbucks cup and have taken to social media to express their concern with Starbucks and the new war they’re waging on Christmas.
Many outlets have published articles with headlines slamming Christians for the uproar. Contrary to popular belief, not all Christians take offense to the cup. Those offended by the design have chosen to retaliate against Starbucks by telling the barista that their name is “Merry Christmas,” causing the barista to write “Merry Christmas” on the cup, as if it would strike the fear of God into the hearts of Starbucks baristas everywhere.
When articles group Christians in a fiasco as useless as this, it puts my faith in a bad light. To go so far to say that Starbucks “hates Jesus” in a video because Starbucks has a plain red cup for the Christmas season is melodramatic. Ellen Degeneres said it best – “The old cups had snowflakes and Santa’s sleigh, and elves, you know all those things you find in the Bible.” If people truly believe Starbucks declared a war on Christmas by removing snowflakes and elves from the design, those offended by the cup must have forgotten that Jesus is the reason for the season.
Asking the barista to write “Merry Christmas” on the cup solely to spite Starbucks is ridiculous because not only is the issue not being resolved, but if people are so mad at Starbucks, why are they still paying for the coffee? Let’s face it, Starbucks, though overrated, is a highly appreciated franchise and it sure knows how to spread some Christmas cheer. Starbucks cards for Christmas? Please, and thank you. Let’s not forget the highly anticipated holiday drinks.
In 1 Peter, we are told to love one another because love covers a multitude of sins. Show some love to your barista this holiday season, not only for crafting your drink, but for putting up with the amount of controversy a single red cup has caused.
