Joshua Gill, DCNF

All is largely quiet on the western front of the War on Christmas, but a cold war rages in coffee shops across the U.S.

The nation’s most popular coffee servers, from Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts to Pete’s, all chose a stance this year on whether or not to promote Christmas on their cups. Some chose to backtrack on their past pro-Christmas stance while others took it up a notch.

Here is a list of 2017 coffee shop Christmas cups, from least jolly to most boldly celebrating the season.

Pret a Manger

Christmas spirit is no where in sight or within earshot inside Pret a Manger this year. Their blank white cups feature nothing but their brand and a few splashes burnt autumn orange and red. It is the “bah humbug” of 2017 Christmas coffee cups. Considering Pret still sells the “Fall Harvest Salad” in mid-December, one might wonder if they were stuck in a time warp not unlike that which the White Witch imposed upon Narnia – “Always winter, never Christmas.”

Peet’s Coffee

Peet’s Coffee, unlike the aforementioned Pret, at least acknowledges a vague winter festiveness. Their red cups give a nod to the traditional Christmas color scheme, as does the interior decoration of the shops. The drink names, however, belie a reticence to specifically acknowledge Christmas. The shop sports season specials like a Winter Solstice Tea Latte, named for a solar event celebrated, and a Holiday Spice Latte and various other candy cane and peppermint flavored sugar milks with splashes of coffee.

Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts embraced Christmas this year, much as they did in 2015 during the great Starbucks red cup controversy. The one difference is that this year Dunkin’ Donuts only features a Christmas theme for their iced coffee cups. Christmas symbols like holly, candy canes, and Christmas trees, all with a red and green color scheme wish Joy to anyone crazy enough to order an iced coffee in the dead of winter. For those who order hot coffee, however, only the Dunkin’ Donuts logo and slogan await them. To Dunkin’s further credit, the store does play actual Christmas songs during this season.

Starbucks 

Starbucks coffee takes the cake for the most bold celebration of Christmas in not only its cups, but also its coffee roasts and seasonal food bags. Starbucks’ Christmas season branding features colors of gold, green, red, and white, with pictures of wrapped packages and snowflakes, Christmas trees and stars. Their food bags even feature doves flying with olive branches – overt Christian symbols of peace and the Holy Spirit.

Yes, the Starbucks cup stirred up controversy over whether or not the prominently featured clasped hands in the design were those of a lesbian couple. Starbucks furthered the theory with its “Give Good” ad campaign that featured two women who seemed to some to go in for a kiss at the end of the ad. Starbucks has not confirmed whether it intended the pro-LGBT message in its ad.

The controversy no doubt casts a shadow for some over the company’s Christmas ad campaign. Starbucks was the only coffee shop of the ones The Daily Caller News Foundation visited, however, that actually named Christmas in their advertising. The company offers a dark Christmas Blend and a Christmas Blonde Roast.

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