Two of my favorite things in the entire world are Starbucks and Christmas, so every year I have a special star on my calendar for the first Friday in November — otherwise known as the day Starbucks releases the year’s new, red holiday cups.
For me, this marks the official start of the holiday season: when companies finally add snowflakes to their Twitter header; department stores put out their red, green, and gold displays; and Michael Buble’s Christmas album starts playing on repeat everywhere you go.
Whether they meant to or not, Starbucks’ limited edition red cups have become a noteworthy part of the holiday season, and, despite the outstanding circumstances of the pandemic, this year was no different.
On November 6, I woke up at 7 a.m., excited to get my Christmas drink of the season, and slightly afraid that every Boston location had somehow already given away their reusable cups before I got up.
Luckily, when I arrived at the crowded Newbury Street Starbucks location and ordered my first Caramel Brulée Latte (with one less pump of caramel brulée sauce and extra whipped cream) of the holiday season around 8 a.m., I was early enough to get myself a famed red cup.
Because of the pandemic this year, instead of serving your drink in the cup, they simply gave guests the free reusable cup — which had registers of green and white designs decorating it — to take home and clean. I was excited, because this meant I also got to see the four paper cup designs the store will be serving drinks in over the next few months!
This years’ designs feel traditionally Christmasy — they aren’t the cause of any shock or controversy — but even the clear snowflake cups for cold drinks feel like they imitate the texture of a warm Christmas sweater or a well-wrapped present under the Christmas tree.
Overall, I was so excited to get my Starbucks red holiday cups this year, and even though COVID might have changed the way so many traditions look this year, one thing remains the same: Christmas coffee!
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