Canada Post has released new Christmas and holiday stamps that will help Canadians make their mail merrier at this special time of year.
Since 1964, the annual Christmas and holiday stamps have been adding a festive touch to cards and letters throughout the season. For the 2022 stamps, Canadians will once again have their choice of stamps featuring either sacred or secular holiday imagery.
This year, Canada Post is also sharing images of Christmas and holiday stamps dating back decades so Canadians can see how they have evolved over the years, while still capturing the fun and magic of the season.
2022 Christmas and holiday stamps
The majestic new Christmas stamp – designed by Paprika and illustrated by Fanny Roy – is inspired by the Nativity, with an emphasis on the star that led the Magi to the infant Jesus. In biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus, the star of Bethlehem served as both a guide that led the Magi to find the young child and a sign that the prophecy of the coming of a saviour had been realized. The Permanent™ domestic rate stamp is available in booklets of 12. The Official First Day Cover is cancelled in Star City, Saskatchewan.
This year’s secular holiday stamps – designed by Hambly & Woolley Inc. and illustrated by Sandra Dionisi – feature three birds that overwinter in Canada: a cardinal (Permanent™ domestic rate), a blue jay (U.S. rate) and an evening grosbeak (international rate). The colourful stamps provide a festive and wintery look, emphasizing the beauty of the natural world during the holiday season. Domestic rate stamps are available in booklets of 12, with the U.S. and international rate stamps offered in booklets of six. A festive souvenir sheet of the three stamps is also available, along with a souvenir sheet Official First Day Cover, cancelled in Cardinal, Ontario.
Images of stamps dating back several decades
For nearly 60 years, the annual Christmas and holiday issues have reflected the magic, landscapes and cultural traditions that make the season so special. This year, Canada Post is sharing images of some of those stamps from decades gone by. While the artwork and designs have changed significantly over the years, the stamps continue to capture the meaning, memories and cherished moments of the season that Canadians hold dear. Sharing Christmas and holiday stamps on cards and letters remains a time-honoured tradition for many people across the country.
The 2022 stamps and collectibles are available at canadapost.ca and postal outlets across Canada. Christmas and holiday stamps from past years are not being reissued. Here are images of some of the previous stamps:
1960s
“Family” – Christmas 1964
Children Singing Carols – 1967
Faces of Children – 1969
1970s
Snowmen – 1970
Ice Skate – 1973
Village in the Laurentian Mountains (Clarence A. Gagnon) – 1974
Family – 1975
1980s
Christmas Tree (1781, 1881, 1981) – 1981
The Three Kings (Simone Mary Bouchard) – 1984
Santa Claus Parade – 1985
Angel with Crown – 1986
1990s
Mother and Child (Indigenous Nativity) – 1990
Children of the Raven (Indigenous Nativity) – 1990
Bonhomme Noël (Christmas Personages); Sinterklaas (Christmas Personages) – 1991
People Carolling Outdoors –1994
Santa Making a Downhill Delivery (UNICEF); Christmas in the Yukon Territory (UNICEF) – 1996
Angel Carrying a Teddy Bear and a Small Sack of Toys (Victorian Angels) – 1999
2000s
Flight into Egypt – 2000
Sleigh Ride in an Urban Landscape (Christmas Lights) – 2001
Skating in the Suburbs (Christmas Lights) – 2001
Building a Snowman in the Country (Christmas Lights) – 2001
Santa Claus in a Cadillac – 2004
Hope – 2007
2010s
Gingerbread Man Cookies – 2012
St. Nicholas – 2014
Moose (Christmas Animals) – 2015
Christmas Knitted Socks – 2018
The Magi – 2019
2020s
Winter Sleigh Ride (Maud Lewis) – 2020
Santa Claus – 2021
2022 Christmas and holiday stamp
Available now