Influencers Are Celebrating The 25th Anniversary Of The Starbucks Holiday Cup In The Coolest Ways

Let’s take a holiday pulse check. Come December, do you prefer to keep things traditional — i.e. use your grandmother’s recipe just as she wrote it and wear your favorite red sweater — or shake them up?

If you fancy a little bit of both, you’re not alone. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the iconic Starbucks holiday cup, a tradition that’s become synonymous with the start of the holiday season as it continues to reinvent itself year after year. Since 1997, the designs have modernized alongside us, only aiding in their timelessness. While the original purple cups transformed into sophisticated red and green designs, the Starbucks holiday cup has always served as the go-to accessory of the season.

To celebrate this milestone anniversary, Bustle asked influencers to draw inspiration from their favorite Starbucks holiday cups over the years to create something new. Their custom outfits, cookie designs, and aesthetics are sure to spread some cheer this season — just see for yourself below.

A Fashion Editor Styled Some Timeless Holiday Looks

Caroline Vazzana is an editor, stylist, author, and status symbol in the fashion world. Whenever she puts a look together, the internet stops to watch — and this time she put together five. Inspired by Starbucks holiday cups with classic holiday aesthetics from 2003, 2007, 2013, 2018, and 2019, Caroline creates outfits that are complex yet achievable on your own. Gone are the days of sticking to modest sweaters and jeans. Strive to recreate look number four from 2018 and turn heads at the family gathering.

A Thrifting Expert Channeled Their Favorite Retro Trends

Chelsea Henriquez is used to wearing pieces from yesteryear, so challenging her to create five holiday party outfits that she’d wear in 1997, 2002, 2006, 2009, and 2017 may have been a little too easy. It’s no surprise that Chelsea completely crushes it, with each look pulling color and mood inspiration from that year’s cup. P.S. If you haven’t heard, ’90s fashion is back with full force. Try incorporating a not-so-long-lost trend into your party look just like Chelsea did with her retro ’90s silver slip dress paired with a royal purple blazer that calls back to 1997’s nostalgic Starbucks holiday cup.

A Baker Decorated Starbucks-Inspired Holiday Cookies

Yes, those are real cookies! Danielle Henderson is so good at cookie decorating that you wouldn’t be wrong to think these were actual Starbucks holiday cups. Watch as this Arkansas-based talent transforms the 2000, 2012, 2015, 2020, and 2022 designs into edible art, evoking some major nostalgia and personal family memories.

A Lifestyle Influencer Rounded Up Your Favorite Nostalgic Aesthetics

A grunge look for the holidays? If Mayra says it works, it most definitely does. One look at this California-based influencer’s page and you can tell fashion is more than just something she enjoys. It’s her calling. Choosing to create outfits inspired by the 1998, 2001, 2008, 2016, and 2021 Starbucks holiday cups, Mayra goes grunge, Y2K, and more — and makes it all work.

A Cake Business Owner Made The Merriest Cakesicles

Mia Stav’s cakesicles are the perfect pairing for Starbucks holiday drinks; not only do they look just like the cups, but they’re also super delicious. This coffee-loving baker pulled inspiration from some of the most iconic red and white Starbucks holiday cups from 1999, 2004, 2010, 2011, and 2014. Using every skill from hand-painting designs to fondant sculpting, Mia makes these cakesicles look almost too good to eat. (The key word being “almost.”)