Starbucks Unveils Its 2020 Holiday Cups

Every year, legions of loyal Starbucks fans look forward to the holiday seasonal offerings of the coffee behemoth. In addition to the return of all things peppermint, the brand replaces the standard white and green cups with new, festive designs. Though the holiday iterations have at times been controversial, this year’s lineup of holiday cups is a welcome respite from the calamitous and contentious year we’ve had thus far.

This year’s designs lean into Christmas with some retro-flair, a winning combination that gets us to tune into claymation holiday fare year after year. Ribbon features, naturally, green and red ribbons, using patterns made out of brand elements such as the siren’s tails and crowns, accompanied by geometric shapes like dots, Christmas trees, and snowflakes. Best of all, the execution has that familiar ugly sweater vibe, perfect for holiday shenanigans. Similarly, Sparkle uses throwback ornament designs executed in green against Starbucks’ signature red.

Just as festive though less obviously Christmas-themed, Dot casts playful polka dots against a corporate green background and ribbons sporting the “Carry The Merry” holiday slogan. Brand Wrap is the furthest from the holiday theme, with the brand’s wordmark applied on strips of green, red, and mint.

So, nothing too out of the ordinary here, as the cups continue to capitalize on the brand’s iconography while focusing their campaign on how the holidays should feel—celebratory and inclusive. As always, all of your favorite holiday beverages are back, including the Peppermint Mocha, Toasted White Chocolate Mocha, Caramel Brulee Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte, and Eggnog Latte. Unless, of course, you like coffee-coffee, in which case, I suppose you can still have one of these cups.

Oh, and if you didn’t need a reason already to try the new Sugar Plum Danish, Starbucks is once again giving away reusable, signature red cups. This year’s freebie will happen on November 6th while supplies last.