How Starbucks “stole” Christmas
Before the results of the presidential election took over our collective consciousness, people across the world united in opposition to one thing: Starbucks cups. The cups depicted baristas and customers drawn in a single stroke over a green background to symbolize unity. The reaction, however, was anything but unified.
Social media users quickly responded, saying that Starbucks was taking “political correctness too far,” and taking “Jesus out of Christmas.” Ironically, Starbucks had never labelled the cups as holiday or Christmas cups, rather they were released as a subtle nod to the United States election. The company promptly released the designs for their actual holiday cups.
It seems once a year Starbucks is accused of destroying Christmas by selling general festive products without traditional Western Christmas symbols. Last year, Starbucks attempted to ruin the holiday by selling simple red cups. While on the campaign trail, current president-elect Donald Trump urged his supporters to boycott Starbucks saying, “If I become president, we’re all going to be saying Merry Christmas again, that I can tell you.”
Many believe that the greater visibility of non-denominational holiday paraphernalia is part of a larger effort known as the “War on Christmas.” Saying “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas” is also believed to be one of the tactics used to undermine the holiday.
There are several indications that this assault on Christmas is not as severe as some would like to think it is. The presence of Christmas movies on television, Christmas Day remaining a statutory holiday, and the availability of Christmas goods around December are only some of the proof that the holiday isn’t being suppressed.
Additionally, the absent symbols that social media users will often complain about are not overtly linked to Christianity. Reindeer and Santa Claus, for instance, are mostly Western traditions when it comes to Christmas. Furthermore, it is also insulting to compare North American holiday culture as obstructing personal freedom to celebrate Christmas, while there are places in the world where religious freedoms are actually infringed upon.
Holiday products are less an attack on human rights and more a marketing ploy with the goal of making a connection with as many people as possible without going through the costly hassle of diversifying products for each individual religious event. I look forward to when companies will start to give representation to the diverse celebrations that take place around December, but until then, homogenized advertising appears to be the norm.
Much has changed in the world since the Starbucks controversy began trending online. Perhaps a positive outcome of last week’s election has been the demonstration that there are more important things in the world than coffee cups. However, if the debate begins again once the dust settles, I urge those concerned with how Starbucks is destroying Christmas to take some advice from the Grinch: “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
Photo by Mariah Bridgeman.