Obviously nothing beats a frothy PSL on a crisp autumn day (bonus points if you are unabashedly wearing Uggs), but we’re here to talk about an even more iconic cozy szn tradition: the annual Starbucks red cup (or the Starbucks holiday cup). As anyone who grew up in the early
2000s knows, Starbucks red cups were an absolute hallmark of the holidays. Truly, there was nothing like begging your mom to drop you off at the mall so you could lurk around, brand-new red cup in hand, and hit up, IDK, American Eagle Outfitters.
Red cups have been going strong since the late ’90s—they launched in 1997, to be exact, when they weren’t even red, but more on that later. And every year, the cup has a brand-new design…sometimes multiple! So, while we wait on the 2023 Starbucks red cup (it usually hits stores the first week of November!), the time has come to find out which Starbucks red cup sparked joy the year you were born.
Before we begin, apologies to all the millennials out there, but red cups simply weren’t a thing from 1981 to 1996. However, please feel free to personally identify with the holiday cup of your choice (or the cup from the year you started drinking coffee)—OR just take a cozy walk down memory lane. God speed and have a jolly good day.