Starbucks Christmas cups are here: check out the designs

Just like Mariah Carey, Starbucks is welcoming the holiday season a little early.

Starting November 7, the coffee chain announced that highly anticipated holiday cup designs will be available in stores, as well as the elimination of the non-dairy milk surcharge.

Leading the design effort was Starbucks creative director Kristy Cameron. She said her team took inspiration from “real moments of joy” for the look and feel of this year’s cups.

“Whether it’s growing coffee trees, roasting beans, toasting cups or shining lights, we wanted to share the warmth of our coffee house and the anticipation of the arrival of the red cups with our customers and partners,” Cameron said in a press release .

This year's theme is “Merrier Together,” which the coffee giant says applies to its entire holiday campaign, with a color palette that combines Starbucks green and cranberry red with soft pastel tones inspired by fondant icing. Graphic elements are inspired by vintage Christmas ornaments, mints and other holiday favorites.

“We’re really excited to turn to greens this year,” Cameron said, noting the “vibrant and bright” jade green present in four of the five designs.

The hot cup sleeves feature a “wave motif” with scalloped edges, the so-called “siren wave,” as well as small badges for baristas to write messages.

Warm wishes

For the Warm Wishes cup, Starbucks designers were inspired by the overhead view of coffee cups coming together and toasting each other. The interconnected dots also look like the bokeh of glowing Christmas lights when circles of light blur harmoniously together.

Joyful connection

Starbucks drew inspiration from coffee roasting for the Joyful Connection cup, citing the “round metal cooling tray” into which the coffee is dispensed at its reserve locations, as well as the rotation of a “mechanical arm” that cools the beans. These steps are circular shapes that are combined into this pattern concept.

Lyrical landscape

“Vivid, wavy lines” come together for the “Lyrical Landscape” mug. The chain says the design is like a “perfectly wrapped gift” and “evokes holiday ribbons and the green rolling hills where coffee is grown,” with its alternating stripes of red, green and pink.

Siren choir

The Siren Chorus mug is inspired by the patterns created by “raking coffee beans in the sun” and the “flowing lines” of the Starbucks siren.

Holiday cold cup

With this year's Holiday Cold Cup, Starbucks says “festive appeal” adds a “touch of cheer” to the cold and icy drinks of the holiday season.