This is what this year's Starbucks Christmas cups look like

NEW YORK — The holidays officially begin this week — at least at Starbucks — when the coffee chain launches its annual seasonal cups.

Starting Thursday, customers at U.S. locations will be served their hot beverages in one of four styles of festive cups, which feature “familiar Starbucks green and cranberry red hues paired with fondant-inspired soft pastel hues,” according to a press release.

Green is the focus of this year's design. Starbucks creative director Kristy Cameron said in the press release that the jade hue “references our brand colors in a way that adds a spark of joy to our holiday cups this season.”

The cups have become a tradition for the coffee chain and delight their loyal customers. The tradition has also led to increased sales in the past, which the chain desperately needs.

Last week, Starbucks reported its third straight quarter of declining sales and declining customer visits: Global sales at stores open at least a year fell 7% last quarter, and the number of customer transactions fell 8%.

Each of the four cups has a unique name and theme.

• The “Joyful Connection” design features circular shapes “that connect into a pattern that celebrates the art of coffee roasting,” with the design based on the roasters seen at Starbucks’ chic Reserve Roastery locations.
• The mug, labeled “Lyrical Landscape,” features alternating bands of lines reminiscent of gift wrap.
• The “Siren Chorus” is loosely based on the silhouette of Starbucks’ Siren logo.
• The “Warm Wishes” design consists of interconnected circles reminiscent of “bright Christmas lights and moments of shared coffee enjoyment.”

All cups have “small badges on the back of the cups so baristas can write a message,” the press release says. CEO Brian Niccol recently said he wanted to reintroduce the names handwritten with Sharpies to bring a “human touch” back to the chain.

Ice-cold drink cups are also getting a new design with festive tags printed in white on the plastic. Cold drinks account for about 75% of Starbucks sales.

Starbucks' holiday menu is also getting new items, including a “Cran-merry” orange drink as part of the chain's popular Refresher line of non-coffee drinks, a turkey sage cookie, a snowman cake pop and a penguin-shaped cookie .

Starbucks first introduced seasonal cups in 1997. The company caused controversy in 2015 when it removed “symbols of the season” with images of reindeer and ornaments, opting instead for a simple two-tone red cup. Since then, the cups have been decorated with other festive decorations such as ornaments and mistletoe.