Once upon a time, the holiday season didn’t begin until Thanksgiving ended — after the turkey leftovers were in the refrigerator and the holiday dishes washed and put away …
But all that changed with the arrival of Starbucks’ holiday cups in 1997. Back then, the cups weren’t even red, but rather more of an eggplant color, and their swirled designs were hand-picked by Starbucks’ founder, Howard Schultz.
Even though social media did not exist yet, the Seattle-based coffee chain stirred up never-before-seen levels of seasonal enthusiasm with these whimsically illustrated paper cups — not to mention the festive concoctions filled inside them, like the Peppermint Mocha and Gingerbread Latte.
Now, the holiday season seemingly starts with your first, frosty sip.
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When does Starbucks' 2024 holiday menu come out?
According to the company, Starbucks (SBUX) will roll out its 2024 holiday menu a few weeks before Thanksgiving, on Thursday, November 7.
Not only will its new seasonal food and beverage items launch (see below for all the sweet details), but its 16,482 stores will also be transformed into holiday wonderlands, with shelves of Christmas-blend beans nestled snugly beside colorful drink tumblers, holiday music ringing through speakers, and baristas donning their festive red (instead of the brands' trademark green) aprons.
Knowing its holiday cups are (almost) as eagerly anticipated as Santa’s sleigh, Starbucks gave customers a glimpse of this year’s designs on social media on Saturday, November 2nd.
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What do Starbucks 2024 holiday cups look like?
This year, Starbucks leaned into more green colors to add a “spark of joy” to its holiday cups, said Kristy Cameron, Starbucks’ creative director. “The jade green is so vibrant and bright, and we love how it references our brand colors …”
Cranberry red and “fondant-inspired soft pastels,” like pink, balance out the cups’ color palette.
When designing this year’s cups, Cameron and her team took inspiration from the coffee-making process, creating patterns evocative of growing and roasting beans. Tying everything together under the theme of “Merrier Together,” Starbucks emphasized that its drinks pair perfectly with shared holiday activities, like saying “cheers,” singing, or even wrapping presents.
Starbucks
Here's a look at the five holiday cup designs (from left to right):
- Joyful Connection speaks to the art of coffee roasting in an abstract, circular format.
- Lyrical Landscape’s wavy lines resemble the fields where coffee beans grow, threaded and ribbon-like, together.
- Siren Chorus’ kaleidoscope of holiday charms echo the flowing lines of Starbucks’ mermaid mascot.
- Warm Wishes depicts the cheerful glow of holiday lights as seen from above.
- Holiday Cold Cup (not pictured) also gets into the holiday spirit; it’s adorned with icy charms that look like snow.
Starbucks has even decked out the space where baristas write out their customer’s names, which is shaped like a gift tag, with an added holiday trim.
Related: Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes: Everything you need to know about the iconic fall beverage
Starbucks' 2024 holiday drink menu
These are the seasonal beverages Starbucks' baristas will be serving up for the holidays this year — some are brand new, while others are festive reimaginings of fan favorites and holiday classics.
New holiday drinks
Here's what's new this year:
Cran-Merry Orange Refresher
Starbucks’ other new drink is a nontraditional choice: Made entirely without caffeine, this one goes down easy, nicely blending the sweetness of orange juice with a cranberry zing. Order it mixed with water, lemonade, coconut water, or even coconut milk.
Seasonal favorites returning to Starbucks' 2024 holiday drink menu
Marking its return for the 22nd year straight, Peppermint Mocha is back. It’s also available in an even sweeter format, as a White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha.
Other returning favorites include:
- Chestnut Praline Latte
- Caramel Brulée Latte
- Iced Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte
- Iced Gingerbread Oat Milk Chai
What’s not returning in 2024?
Fans of Starbucks’ drinks of holiday past will lament some items they won’t be seeing on its 2024 holiday menu. The Eggnog Latte may have its own Subreddit, but alas, you won’t find it in stores this season.
You also won’t be able to order the Toasted White Chocolate Mocha or Gingerbread Hot Chocolate, although you can concoct your own version of these favorites by ordering either a mocha or hot chocolate and adding shots of the flavored syrups that your Starbucks location has on hand.
Starbucks 2024 holiday foams
After a successful launch in 2023, Starbucks’ Holiday Cold Foams will be back, and this year, there’s a new flavor to try:
- Peppermint Chocolate Cream
- Sugar Cookie Cream
- Gingerbread Cream (NEW in 2024)
- Caramel Brulée Cream
- Chestnut Praline Cream
Pro tip: If you’re still craving those warm and spicy fall flavors, you can also order a Pumpkin Spice Latte; it usually sticks around until mid-January.
More on holidays:
- How much does the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade cost and who pays for it?
- Christmas Squishmallows: Meet the holiday’s jolliest squad—and find out where to buy them
Starbucks' 2024 holiday food menu
Here's what everyone's favorite cafe chain is serving up this holiday season in terms of food, snacks, and desserts:
Dark Toffee Bundt Cake
This new bakery item is served as a mini bundt cake and is chock-full of rich toffee flavors. The mistletoe icing adds a hint of holiday jingle.
Turkey and Sage Danish
Another new item is a savory pastry filled with turkey sausage and sage, topped with a creamy béchamel sauce.
Snowman Cake Pop
Everyone who’s tried a cake pop knows it’s an elevated bite of indulgent goodness. This year, you can order an adorable snowman that’s made with vanilla cake and wrapped in white chocolate. Yum.
Other items
Fans of the Cranberry Bliss Bar, Penguin Cookie, and Sugar Plum Cheese Danish will rejoice to find them all back on the menu again in 2024.
Related: Starbucks fall menu 2024: What's new & what to order
Starbucks
When is Starbucks 2024 Red Cup Day?
Starbucks’ Red Cups are like the gift that keeps on giving — when customers order a holiday drink on Red Cup Day, they receive the 16 oz. recycled plastic tumbler it comes in free of charge.
In addition, stores offer customers who reuse their Red Cups a 10 cent discount as well as 25 bonus stars.
While Starbucks has yet to reveal the exact date for this year’s Red Cup Day, sources citing a Starbucks employee state that it will take place on Thursday, November 14, so mark your calendars.
When will Starbucks' 2024 holiday menu end?
Typically, Starbucks will switch over to its winter menu (which comes after the holiday menu) in early January.
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