Starbucks Unveils Holiday Cup Designs for 2019

Winter might be completely unbearable if it weren’t for two things: the holidays and hot coffee. And around this time every year, Starbucks combines both of those elements into a festive collection of holiday cups. Today Starbucks unveiled its latest variety of decorative drinking vessels.

Sarah Crowder
Sarah Crowder

For the 22nd year in a row, the brand has given its typically white cups a makeover with a quartet of designs that customers can expect to see arrive in stores tomorrow. And if you're in it for the 'gram, the cups have an added bonus of an augmented reality feature via Instagram Stories (see the Starbucks Instagram profile for more info).

Here are descriptions of each of the patterns, as provided by Starbucks:

  • Polka Dots: The traditional Starbucks red cup is dotted with green, with the Siren logo playfully popping in here and there.

  • Merry Dance: A lively pairing of red and green letters jazz up a snowy white cup with a joyful expression.

  • Merry Stripes: From a distance, this cup looks like it’s wrapped in green vintage wrapping paper. But up close, its tiny type offers a happy sentiment.

  • Candy Cane Stripes: The colors of the holiday all come together with this design as the Starbucks wordmark falls like snow against stripes of candy cane red and white.

Sarah Crowder
Sarah Crowder

Additionally, Starbucks is bringing back a money-saving and green—in the environmental sense, not the Chrstimassy sense—option: A reusable red cup. The 16-ounce plastic cup-and-lid combos are available for free to anyone who orders a holiday beverage (including the returning Peppermint Mocha, Toasted White Chocolate, Caramel Brulee Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte, and Eggnog Latte) on Thursday, November 7, but only and while supplies last. Lucky recipients can bring that cup back to Starbucks anytime after 2 p.m. between November 7 and January 7 to receive 50 cents off any grande drink.

And there's another perk associated with all of the Starbucks holiday cups this year: If you're flying Alaska Airlines between November 7 and 10, you can flash your festive cup at the gate to receive priority boarding. Consider it an early gift.

Hopefully, this year's slate of cups is festive enough, as back in 2015 the brand received criticism for its minimalist design not being Christmas-forward enough. That was despite a two-decade track record of ringing in the season with colorful containers. Take a look back at the first 20 years of Starbucks holiday cups here.