Like seeing a Christmas display a day after Halloween, you may be wondering why I’m jumping into a story involving the big “C’ before Thanksgiving has arrived. Is this obviously a serious issue that needs to be addressed immediately? No, but it’s interesting to talk about the little things that people get bent out of shape over.
Earlier this month Starbucks, along with rolling out their seasonal items, unveiled their famous red cups. Instead of visions of sugar plums, or whatever else the coffee giant adorned their cups with in the past, customers were served their drinks in plain red cups this season.
However, to say it is red would be a disservice to the designers who toiled away on its appearance—it is a minimal yet tasteful poppy red with a subtle cranberry gradient. Very chic. “The ombre creates a distinctive dimension, fluidity and weightedness,” said Starbucks’ vice president of Design and Content Jeffrey Fields.
Of course, the design isn’t the real story here. Former pastor Joshua Feuerstein posted a video on Facebook on November 5 voicing his discontent with the plain cups. “Starbucks REMOVED CHRISTMAS from their cups because they hate Jesus…” read his bold caption accompanying the video.
He also gave a super special mission to his viewers in order to assure the spirit of Christmas will live on. How else will you know in your heart it is Christmas if a cup doesn’t tell you so? Instead of giving the barista your real name, tell them “Merry Christmas” so that those evil heretics are forced to write the greeting on your cup, and then post a picture of your order with #MerryChristmasStarbucks. This is clearly how life changing revolutions are started.
In response to Feuerstein’s reaction, Starbucks said that it strives to foster inclusion and diversity, and the cups are blank because they want their customers to tell their Christmas stories in their own way. So if customers were provided with pens or markers they could decorate their cups with their own holiday messages and share them on social media.
The decision to leave off classic holiday motifs like snowmen, reindeer and ornaments—even leaving off the phrase “Merry Christmas”—was most likely hastened by the diverse demographics of the company’s customers around the world. The U.S, as well, is home to a wide variety of multicultural religious and traditional practices and that isn’t going to change any time soon.
Despite this, a handful of Christians (although they don’t speak for all Christians because most couldn’t care less) are in support of Feuerstein’s view that the plain red cups are clearly an attack on Christmas and therefore Christianity.
Even republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested that the general public should boycott Starbucks, though not before boasting about one of the most successful Starbucks being located in Trump Tower.
In light of those comments it makes little sense as to why he would want to do such a thing considering his tenant losing money would affect him just as well. But he also offhandedly remarked that that would be the end of that lease, so losing money clearly isn’t an issue to him.
If this all sounds a bit overblown and ridiculous that is because it is. Every single year, for quite some time now, the phrase “War on Christmas” rears its head in the media around the holiday season. Mainly, Fox news pundit Bill O’Reilly is the one volleying the offense against it and maintaining the flame.
In one of his many segments addressing the topic he calls out those who are “diminishing the celebration of Jesus’ birthday”, he says as clipart of a cartoony Christmas tree is displayed in the background.
In another segment he rears against former Daily Show host Jon Stewart’s claims that there is little evidence for the War on Christmas, “It is clear that there is a war between traditional Americans and secular progressives.”
But what exactly is a “traditional American” and what do they look like? Because that phrasing seems to open up a whole other can of worms. At one point, weekday morning news show Fox and Friends thought it was an innovative idea to bring a Santa impersonator (Sal Lizard), fully in character, on to be interviewed about ‘political correctness’ and how the phrase “Happy Holidays” is killing Santa Claus and Christmas all together.
It’s worth noting that there are two very different versions of Christmas being celebrated in this nation and no one has made it clear exactly which one war is allegedly being waged against. Which is why it makes it slightly confusing when people blend them together in one breath in order to defend one or the other.
What do snowflakes and Santa Claus really have to do with the anniversary of Jesus Christ’s birth? See, there is the commercialized Christmas that involves a bearded old man in a velvet red suit and then there is the Christmas that involves the commemoration of a religious figure born in a manger over a thousand years ago.
However, both the religious and secular motifs have become entangled with one another over time. This assimilation of pre-existing customs, stories and symbols dates back centuries when early Christians adopted Pagan dates, festivals and figures to help ease their conversion into Christianity. In a way, the two are inseparable in a historical context.
Growing up in a Christian household during this time of year, I was taught to observe that it was a religious holiday, while being able to enjoying the more commercial aspects of the two, but never to conflate them.
It always seemed to me that most Christians were not too keen on the commercialized values of modern Christmas, and instead chose to focus more on giving time and attention to family and those in need–although that isn’t to say that a majority don’t take part in gift-giving and shopping.
Any business choice that Starbucks’ makes is to generate money first and foremost. In fact, the very first red cup from Starbucks in 1997 was decorated with Santa Claus–a secular holiday motif that appeals to a general customer base.
If Feuerstein’s concern is that Jesus’ importance is being diminished by the absence of commercial Christmas motifs then he may need to reconsider his argument. Next to New Years, Christmas is the most widely and globally observed holiday celebrated around the world by Christians and non-Christians alike. To say that it is being diminished or those who celebrate it are under attack would be a gross overstatement.
Christmas, for those who celebrate it, can mean different things for different people depending on their family and community traditions. For whatever reasons you may celebrate it, you shouldn’t let society change what it means to you personally.
You should believe strongly enough in the traditions of your faith to not let that meaning be stripped away from you, especially by something as trivial as the exclusion of snowflakes on a coffee cup. If you are going to boycott the trappings of Christmas or those that oppose it it should be for a more substantial reason.
The holiday season, which includes Thanksgiving and Christmas and other faith traditions, is often a hard time for those that are doing without and feel pressured to buy gifts, fill their pantries and provide for their families. Because this is the season of giving we should be focusing on tending to issues that matter like the poverty stricken and the homeless. If you want more issues to be upset about just look at major headlines in the news.
Instead of focusing on the “war on Christmas”, let us collectively–no matter our religious affiliation or views–send our love, prayers, goodwill and charity to places like France, Mexico, Japan, Lebanon and Baghdad that are facing difficult times in the face of terrorism, chaos and natural disasters.
“In America, there are no sacred days, ‘cause we commercialize everything. Christmas is Jesus’ birthday…Now, I don’t know Jesus. But from what I’ve read, Jesus is the least materialistic person to ever roam the earth. No bling on Jesus. Jesus kept a low profile and we turned his birthday into the most materialistic day of the year …Then, at the end of the Jesus birthday season, we have the nerve to have an economist come on TV and tell you how horrible the Jesus birthday season was this year, highlighting the business projections each year.”
—Comedian Chris Rocks’ Saturday Night Live monolouge on commercialized Christmas
Zhana Johnson
Senior Features Editor
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