Starbucks Christmas Bear Glass Tumbler

Starbucks' bear-shaped glass cups — the "Bearista" line — went from a quiet seasonal item to one of the most hunted pieces of café merchandise in recent memory. When the first glass Bearista launched in November 2025 at roughly $30, it sold out almost immediately, with reports of shoppers camping out and listings reselling for many times retail. The Starbucks Christmas Bear Glass Tumbler leans into that collecting instinct with a holiday version built to sit on a shelf as happily as it sits in your hand.

The body is clear glass shaped like a seated bear, with a simple face of black eyes, nose and smile and a small green siren logo near the base. On top sits a knitted red-and-white Santa hat whose band reads STARBUCKS®, and a striped red-and-green scarf with red pom-poms wraps twice around the neck. A tall red straw rises through the hat. Because the glass is clear, whatever goes inside becomes part of the design — milky white one day, deep berry-red the next.

The clear bear tumbler with its red straw, knitted hat and striped scarf, beside ornaments and a small ceramic Christmas tree.

Why a clear glass bear became a collecting obsession

The appeal of the Bearista cups is partly that they blur the line between drinkware and decoration. A travel tumbler lives in a bag; a glass bear in a Santa hat lives on the kitchen counter, where it is seen every day even when it is empty. Collectors compare regional releases, track limited drops and line up early, treating each new bear the way others treat trading cards — which is why a Christmas version is the one most people want, since it earns its place among the ornaments through December.

The bear tumbler beside its red-and-green Holiday Bear Glass Tumbler gift set box.

The clear body is the design — it changes with every drink

The knitted hat and scarf give the bear its holiday costume, but the glass itself is the clever part. Iced coffee with milk turns the whole bear a creamy white; a berry tea or cranberry spritzer makes him glow red; plain water leaves the hat and scarf to do the talking. That means the cup never looks the same twice, and it photographs well — which matters for an item people buy as much to show as to use.

Holding the bear tumbler filled with red iced tea in a café beside a pastry and a notebook.

Built for cold drinks, dressed for the season

The borosilicate glass is the kind used for cold beverages — iced coffee, tea, infused water — rather than piping-hot drinks, and the secure lid and straw keep it practical for a desk or a commute. The photos show it filled with milk against a coral backdrop, with iced tea in a café, and standing empty in front of a lit tree beside wrapped gifts, which is roughly the arc of where it ends up: in hand, on the desk and in holiday photos.

The bear tumbler filled with milk against a soft coral backdrop, showing the knitted hat and pom-pom scarf.

A piece for the winter shelf, not just the cupboard

For collectors, the strongest argument for this bear is that it keeps working after the drink is gone. It joins a shelf of seasonal cups, sits among ornaments, and comes back out every December the way a favorite decoration does. It also makes a gift that reads as thoughtful rather than generic, especially for the friend who already lines up for every Starbucks holiday release.

Collectors building a winter shelf can pair it with the Starbucks Bearista Cups Collection Bear-Shaped Tumbler and the Starbucks Christmas Tree Tumbler with Straw, while fans who love the Peanuts crossover can look at the Starbucks x Peanuts Snoopy Winter Collection Glass Tumbler.

The empty bear tumbler in front of a lit Christmas tree with wrapped presents and red lanterns.

Written by Roland Ashby, Drinkware & Barware Specialist at DoesignUs.