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23 Best Christmas Mugs For 2023

Nothing makes me feel more like it’s finally the holiday season than breaking out my Christmas mugs. If yours are getting old and shabby or you just want a little serotonin boost, bring some holiday cheer into your kitchen with some new mugs. We’ve included a nice mix of beautiful, elegant, and funny Christmas coffee mugs.

They also make for fun gifts along with a gorgeous German Christmas Pyramid or weird Christmas ornaments if the mug you choose is a little cheeky.

Price: $ – $
23 Listed Items

What's the Best Way to Keep Your Coffee Warm?

Hot coffee and tea are such a comforting drink--right up until you get absorbed in a work task and an hour flies by and you suddenly realize you forgot to drink your coffee and now it's cold.

Ever reheat your coffee in the microwave? It gets all gross and bitter. HuffPost explains that adding heat to an already brewed drink encourages more volatile compounds to be released making your tea or coffee bitter.

You're essentially brewing it twice and expecting it to taste the same. 

So What Can We Do? 

My personal trick is to add boiling water (I use an electric kettle) to my coffee mug and let it sit for one minute. Then I dump the water out and add my coffee. That way, the mug doesn't leach any of the heat away from my coffee, giving you more time before the coffee goes cold. 

Use an insulated mug that's double-walled and has a cover. This is your best chance to keep your drink nice and warm. Metal is great for this but you can find all types. 

You can use a mug warmer. I have an older model in my office that I use with a ceramic mug with a cover but they have even more advanced versions these days with temperature control features. 

Keeping your coffee or tea on a warmer for a long time will eventually make it go bitter, but it won't be immediate like microwaving it.

What Type of Christmas Coffee Mug Is Right for Me?

This all depends on what you need your mug for. If you prefer to take your coffee slow, you want something that will keep your coffee warm longer. If you like large mugs of hot cocoa with room for marshmallows, a dainty little porcelain cup won't do.

It also depends on how you hold your mug. If you use the handle, you're fine but if you like to cup the mug with your hands, a metal or glass mug will get too hot to hold.

When you're shopping keep these things in mind: size, material, and style.

What Are the Best Materials for a Coffee Cup?

Material is by far the most important factor in choosing a cup as it can affect the heat retention and even the taste of your coffee.

Let's look at a breakdown of the most popular coffee mug materials and their pros and cons.

What Are the Benefits of Ceramic Christmas Coffee Cups?

Pros: Most common for mugs. Average heat retention. Won't affect taste.

Cons: Can stain after long use.

This is the material you're most likely to see and the one that most people, including coffee brands like Full Coffee Roast, consider the best option for your coffee mug.

They're affordable, easy to find, and won't affect the taste of your drink. They have average heat retention so they're comfortable to hold. 

The downside of ceramic (other than not having the best heat retention) is that over time, light-colored mugs can become stained.  

(My favorite mugs are white and become stained from time to time but a little wipe with a Magic Eraser tends to take care of that.)

What Are the Benefits of Stainless Steel Christmas Cups?

Pros: Retains heat well. Durable. 

Cons: Can affect taste. Cup itself can get too hot to hold.

I love stainless steel mugs because I'm clumsy. You can drop a steel mug all you want and it won't crack or break. 

It has the best heat retention of the lot but it can also become a little warm to hold. 

The main issue with metal cups is that they can affect the taste of coffee for some people who are sensitive to metallic tastes.

What Are the Benefits of Stoneware Holiday Coffee Mugs?

Pros: Great heat retention.

Cons: Heavy. Expensive.

Stoneware is less common than ceramic and is a ceramic base mixed with crushed stone. This allows for the mug to have significantly better heat retention compared to plain ceramic. You still get the benefit of ceramic being durable in the dishwasher and microwave.

Why aren't all mugs like this? Stoneware is heavier than ceramic which many people don't like and it can be more expensive.

What Are the Benefits of Glass Christmas Coffee Mugs?

Pros: Gorgeous. Won't affect taste.

Cons: Cup itself can get too hot to hold. Doesn't retain heat well.

I love being able to see my tea or latte in my glass mug. It's so satisfying and elegant. But I only use that mug when I know I'm going to be drinking my tea quickly.

Dial Up The Coffee's mug material guide points out that glass is a poor insulator so the cup heats up quickly but then loses heat fast. It won't keep your coffee hot for a long time and the cup can heat up so much it's uncomfortable to hold.

What Are the Benefits of Plastic Chrismas Coffee Mugs?

Pros: Durable. Cheap. 

Cons: Can retain flavors.

Plastic cups are cheap and lightweight but you can run into problems with taste. There's a reason when you're whipping up egg whites that you're told to never use a plastic bowl. Plastic bowls retain oils that you simply can't wash off--enough that it can deflate your egg whites.

This means that the oils in your coffee can leach into the plastic and affect the flavor of drinks later.

What Does Microwave-Safe Really Mean?

When shopping for mugs, the two phrases I need to see before I hit "add to cart" are microwave-safe and dishwasher-safe. I'm tired, y'all. I don't want to mess around with handwash-only mugs. 

According to the experts at Microwave Meal Prep, the term microwave-safe refers to whether or not the material will heat up in the microwave when placed there with nothing inside it. 

Microwaving something that isn't safe can result in a damaged, melted, warped piece of dishware or, worst case, a microwave that is on fire.

To know which items are safe, check for markings on the bottom of the cup. Ceramic and glass tend to be microwaveable, metal is absolutely not, and plastic is a toss-up. Always default to the symbol on the bottom of the cup.

What Does Dishwasher-Safe Really Mean?

Similarly, dishwasher-safe items have been treated to withstand the extreme heat of a dishwasher as well as dishwashing cleaners. 

According to Finish, this is done mainly through tempering (for glass, ceramic, and metal), where the cup material is cooled down slowly to strengthen it and remove small flaws. 

Again, plastics are a toss-up and should be kept to the top rack only. It's not a fun time to walk by the kitchen and smell burning plastic. I know by personal experience. I don't recommend it.

Just like with microwaving, you want to trust the symbol on the bottom more than anything else. 

I'm Sick of Santa Mugs--Are There Non-Christmas Holiday Mugs?

Of course, there are plenty of neutral winter-themed cups as well as Hanukkah mugs like this adorable "Happy Challah Days" Mug.

Give your coffee a festive new makeover with the best Christmas mugs of 2023 whether you're looking for graceful cardinals or 'Christmas Vacation' Moose mugs.