Red makes its first appearance on the holiday cup with whimsical line-drawings of snowflakes, stocking and other winter items. The second year brought a burgundy cup with swirling snowflakes. The first holiday cup had a hand-drawn design with swirls and tiny coffee beans. “We’re inviting everyone to color in the holidays in a way that’s meaningful to them,” said Leanne Fremar, executive creative director for Starbucks.ġ997 Starbucks 1997 holiday cup. This year the cups feature a a print that invites the consumer to add color. Over the next two decades, Starbucks holiday cups became emblematic of the holiday with design varying from year to year from coffee beans to snowflakes, simple designs and intricate drawings. It would be two more years before red would become the color of choice. It was more of a magenta with sapphire, emerald and amethyst alternatives. I couldn’t believe mine was chosen.”īut the first cup wasn’t in the classic red motif most Starbucks coffee customers are familiar with. Then Howard came by, looked at all of them, and picked my design. We had what felt like a hundred cup designs pinned up on the wall. “We were working on holiday creative for the season to come. “It was August, and I had just started with the company,” Nelson said. One company designer, Sandy Nelson, having had the honor of designing the first cup, stashed away a full set of subsequent cups. Even searching online poses few results, as the cups came before the ubiquitous time of selfies and cell phone cameras. Few were saved and the digital design files were lost in an earthquake in 2001. The first Starbucks holiday cups made their debut in 1997, though it would be a miracle to find one today. It’s a ritual for many, that’s as beloved as trimming the tree or baking sugar cookies. It’s been 20 years since special Starbucks cups first began to grace our holiday season.

Starbucks holiday cups 2011