Each year since 1997, around Christmas time Starbucks replaces their iconic white cups with cups with brightly colored designs, each one a symbol of holiday joy. Starbucks creative director Kristy Cameron designs and brings the Starbucks holiday cups to life.

“There’s something unmistakably magical about that moment the cups arrive – it’s as if the season officially begins,” said Cameron. “We’ve dipped the stores in rich textures and a deep coffee cherry red, and Starbucks green” Cameron added.

2025

The four Starbucks holiday cups for 2025 feature plaid and bow patterns in red and green, but the most popular cup that was created was the bearista cup that could be purchased for $30, and sold out insanely fast when it made its debut.

“The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations," Starbucks told People in a November statement. "Despite shipping more Bearista cups to coffeehouses than almost any other merchandise item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast."

2024

In 2024, the theme for the cups was “Merrier Together.” Starbucks embraced groovy, retro-inspired designs incorporating mint green, pink, white, and red. In addition to these designs, the cups also featured cozy charms that look like old-fashioned holiday ornaments or peppermints.

2023

The cups created in 2023 were inspired by the theme “Share the Joy,” each featuring sparkles and bright magenta. Each cup included designs of Ribbon Spool, Bauble Wrap, Peppermint Swirl or Party Plaid

"When we were looking at trends when designing this year’s holiday, we kept seeing bright, bold, uplifting colors,” said Kristy Cameron, creative director at Starbucks. “We found that magenta alongside the holiday reds and greens lifts the traditional holiday colors and makes the red look even brighter.”

2022

To spark that holiday joy, the designers used signature motifs, including sparkles, ornaments and snowflakes, and pops of color to create a warm and cozy sensation caffeine fans love. The four holiday options customers were given were: Gift-Wrapped Magic, Frosted Sparkle, Ornament Wonder and Cozy Evergreen.

2021

These cups were crafted in classic shades of red, green and white with hints of frosty lilac, and featured arguably Starbucks' most sentimental move as each one contained little gift tags to create room for a cheerful message.

"This holiday, we wanted it to feel magical, we wanted it to be warm, and we wanted it to be inclusive," Starbucks associate creative director Suzie Reecer shared. "Our goal was to really bring joy to every customer and every partner."

2020

Ribbon, Dot, Sparkle and Brand Wrap were the four main designs for the brand's 2020 theme "Carry the Merry." The design process for the 2020 holiday cups involved wrapping ribbons similar to washi tape around cups, according to Starbucks.

The annual arrival of Starbucks holiday cups is a highly anticipated tradition that signals the start of the holiday season for many customers.