THE RED CUP

It’s just a cup.  A red cup.  A cup that has some saying that Starbucks has launched a war against Christmas.  For Starbucks, the annual reveal of their red cup is meant to signify that the holiday season is approaching. Instead, it's stirring up some controversy. The iconic Christmas cup has featured several winter-themed designs since it first appeared in 1997. From minimalist snowflakes and hand-drawn reindeer to a winking snowman and decorative ornaments, each year the design is distinctive and different from the last.  This year it is red.  It holds the Peppermint Mocha I’m drinking right now – non-fat and extra hot.

Since Starbucks is NOT a Christian company, I have no issue with the red cup.  Why would I expect a secular company to put traditional Christmas designs on their cups? Starbucks is not the church and they can do whatever they want with their cups. The over-hyped story about the war on Christmas is really a war on Christian intelligence.  I hope you are not falling for it.  Most of it is just media noise.

Starbucks maintains that their holiday cups were meant to be a blank canvas for customers to create their own stories, inspired by the doodles and designs that customers have drawn on white cups for years.  So here is my story.  The red on my cup stands for the blood of Jesus Christ.  He came at Christmas so He could shed His blood for my sin.  The blood of Jesus cleanses me from my sin and hides it forever from a holy God.  So at Christmas I not only celebrate His birth, I celebrate the blood He shed on the cross for me – and for every employee who works at Starbucks.  It is WHY He came.  And that makes my Peppermint Mocha taste even better.