As the weather gets colder and people gravitate towards the comforts of the holidays, one of the largest, most anticipated days approaches: the release of Starbucks winter menu. Whether it’s from seeing what the new holiday cups will look like, trying new drinks or having the nostalgic feeling of your favorite holiday treat, the Starbucks winter menu is essential to elevating the holiday spirit that it provides every year.
Olivia Rogalski ‘25, expressed the feeling of comfort the Starbucks Holiday drinks bring her. When asked about what she thinks regarding the drinks she said, “I like them a lot, my favorite is either hot chocolate or the gingerbread oat milk chai latte because it was so festive!” Adding on to this she emphasized that her favorite would probably have to be the Hot Chocolate because it is a classic and has been around forever. She stated, “It is a form of comfort for me and reminds me a lot of my childhood around the holiday season.” She explained that over the years, the holiday drinks have gotten very popular because of marketing on social media apps. This is also where the public casts their opinion on the different drinks and it helps determine what drinks stay for the years to come.
Not only does Starbucks go out of their way to change their menu, but they also continue to add to the festive spirit by the very cups that the drinks come in. Beginning in 1997, Starbucks began to introduce the idea of festive cups. Starbucks has continued to make their designs more artistic each year by promoting the holiday spirit nationally and internationally as well. Although the cup did first come out for the first two years in purple, the signature red cup was introduced in 1999 and has remained the same since with added designs. With each cup, Starbucks hopes to capture moments and create traditions for families around the holidays. Starbucks has also introduced “Red Cup Day”. Red Cup Day is arguably the busiest day of the year because with every holiday drink a customer orders, they get a free reusable one to eliminate waste.
Most importantly, Starbucks has countless collaborations with different brands annually. This year was a collaboration with Stanley Drinkware & Gear to create a limited edition holiday themed water bottle. Released on November second, customers camped outside for hours just to get a hold of one of these. They are currently getting re-sold for hundreds of dollars online. Another iconic collaboration has been with Vivienne Tam – with Starbucks rolling out a bird and floral print mug, water bottle, and tote bag. Though this merchandise is only available for stores in Asia, it is highly coveted among Starbucks consumers globally. Therefore, with their festive cups, deals, and merchandise, Starbucks never fails to make the holidays jolly.
