Starbucks New Green Cup Celebrates Connection, Divides Internet

As Halloween fades into our memories, the holiday season arrives, which means that Starbucks holiday drinks are back. With the drinks come the new seasonal cups, and of course, a new controversy.

The long-anticipated “red holiday cups” are surprisingly green this year.

The Starbucks green cup is available in U.S. stores for a limited run. They feature line-drawing artwork that shows a diverse group of people.

“The green cup and the design represent the connections Starbucks has as a community with its partners (employees) and customers. During a divisive time in our country, Starbucks wanted to create a symbol of unity as a reminder of our shared values, and the need to be good to each other,” said Howard Schultz, chairman and ceo, in a statement from the coffee giant.

After the Internet erupted last year when Starbucks changed its Christmas cups to solid red cups, it was clear a complete color change would not go over well.

Some are wondering if the green cup is a limited time specialty before the start of the real red cup season, since a Starbucks employee reportedly leaked the design of this year’s red cup. We’ll have to wait and see!

This article originally appeared on our sister site, Womanista.com.