Your loved ones will feel your warm yuletide greetings even before they open your mail when they see a Christmas postage stamp on the envelope.
Christmas stamps have become a postal tradition not only in the US and Canada but in other parts of the world as well.
Often called xmas stamps or winter stamps, Christmas postage stamps are widely collected in thematic philately. In fact, Christmas stamp collecting has the biggest following among other kinds of US holiday stamps like the Kwanzaa stamp and the Hanukkah stamps.
If there is one holiday that a lot of people love, it is Christmas and this love for this holiday has extended into the creation of Christmas postage stamps that a lot of people enjoy finding and collecting.
What year was the first Christmas postage stamp made?
The first Christmas stamp was issued in 1898 by a Canadian postmaster to honor the “Prince of Peace”. This 2-cent Christmas stamp carried the inscription “Xmas 1898.”
But since Christmas has long been part of the American tradition during the holiday seasons, you might want to ask: in what year did the US postal service issue the first Christmas stamp?
Christmas postage stamps were released in the US in the year 1962. The first American Christmas stamps featured its 4-cents face value and the words “Christmas 1962.”
Can I use last year’s Christmas stamps now?
Yes, as long as your Christmas postage stamps are unused or not cancelled.
Contrary to popular belief, Christmas postage stamps are not only useful during the Christmas months but are valid postage stamps that can be used all year round for any letter, postcard or postage articles you may need to send.
When do Christmas stamps go on sale?
If you are thinking where to buy US postage Christmas stamps, they are usually sold in your nearest postal service during the yuletide season. Almost all postal services in the world issue postage stamps.
Christmas-themed stamps like the USPS Christmas stamps, for instance, go on sale as early as November.
The only difference these Christmas postage stamps have with regular postage stamps is the fact that they are created during the Christmas season and have Christmas-oriented designs.
What are the choices on Christmas postage stamp designs?
Religious Christmas stamps are popular among Christians and they have iconic designs like the Mother and Child stamps, and the Nativity stamps.
Other Christmas stamps bearing secular designs are often called holiday stamps and they are commonly Santa Claus stamps and Christmas tree stamps. Since Christmas falls on the winter, Christmas postage stamps have also taken the name as winter postage stamps.
You can also be unique in sharing your yuletide cheers by ordering Christmas personalized stamps in the US Postal service website. Christmas stamps are usually issued in specially-designed stamp booklets or stamp sheets.
How can I start my Christmas stamp collecting?
Since there are a lot of these Christmas theme postage stamps circulating, collecting them is easy and while these stamps may not cost much or even amount to much in the end. Christmas stamps are still fun to collect due to their decorative nature.
These Christmas postage stamps are often issued by different countries as definitive stamps that can be used to send out the numerous greeting cards and letters that are often sent during the holiday season.
Another interesting philatelic article to collect during the holidays are Christmas seals. These are special Christmas-themed labels placed on the seasonal mail. Though Christmas envelope seals are not postage stamps, they are part of special postmarks collecting in philately.