Around the holidays, Starbucks gets more publicity for its cups than it gets for what's in the cups. For the last 20 years, the coffee chain has been serving beverages in holiday cups. For the last couple of years, there have been controversies about the designs.

With so many tragic things going on in the world today, one would think the design on a paper cup would not be a top priority. However, for some people, it is a major concern because they are very passionate about what they believe. People might have been looking for something to criticize about this year's starbucks' cup, and they found it.

This year's cup

After last year's negative reviews, Starbucks was almost sure they had gotten it right this year. So the company designed a cup thinking it would please everyone. The inscription says the holidays mean something different to everyone. The drawing shows what might be people's favorites things, including a decorated Christmas tree, presents, and snowflakes.

The holiday cup that was introduced on November 1 also shows a diverse group of people that includes two cartoon women holding hands. Comments on social media suggest that the hands may belong to a pair of lesbians.

Some critics see it as a way that Starbucks is promoting homosexuality.

Some people didn't think the design was an issue. In fact, they didn't notice the couple until it was brought to their attention. The LGBT community did notice and celebrated it. When Starbucks was asked what the design meant, the company said it would let customers decide for themselves what it means to them.

Spokeswoman Sanja Gould said the company intentionally designed the cup so customers could interpret it in their own way according to their own story. Since the design is hand drawn, customers can also color the scene on the cup the way that want it to be.

Previous years

The 46-year-old Seattle, Washington based coffee chain has been down this road before.

The 2015 cups met with criticisms because of the words "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." It was in the same year that Starbucks removed traditional holiday symbols such as Christmas trees, Santa Claus, and reindeer. Instead, it used the plain red cup. Some people weren't pleased with that decision either.

In the past, either Starbucks' holiday coffee cups have been either too liberal for some or too conservative for others. So far, the cup controversy has been less heated this year. Of course, the holidays are just beginning.