It’s that time again! The Christmas 2022 stamps have arrived. Elves, reindeer, Santas and more stars than you can shake a candy cane at are ready to fill any stamp collector’s stocking.
Okay, okay … enough with the clichés and on to a trip around the world just in time for Christmas. Not all stamps listed below are, strictly speaking, Christmas stamps but do fit comfortably into the holiday theme so, merited inclusion.
There are still more to come, so don’t forget to pop back from time to time to see which country has joined the list.
Åland
Christmas Gnomes
2 stamps, FDC, cancel, 2 sheets of 40
4-colour offset
Artist: Sami Saramäki
Sami Saramäki | Agent Pekka
Designer: Johanna Finne
Release date: October 20, 2022
Alderney
Alderney Panto 2022: Robin Hood
7 stamps, FDC, cancel presentation pack, sheets of 10
Alderney’s Christmas Panto runs Dec 7 to 9, 2022. If you are unfamiliar with this unique form of theatre, you can learn more about it here: A History of Panto — Imagine Theatre. Katie Shilton’s article breaks down the history of panto in an entertaining way.
Designer: Nick Watton
Watton also designed Guernsey’s Christmas stamps. The Devon based artist has designed stamps and FDCs for Jersey, Royal Mail, Alderney, Guernsey and Gibraltar. His passion for the “wilder parts of the United Kingdom” shine through in many of his stamps.
Release date: November 16, 2022
Andorra (Fr)
Angel Baldaqui de Sant Bartomeu
1 stamp, sheets of 15
offset
The sheet will super size if you click on it. It’s worth the second look to see the sun and moon up close.
This piece, unique in the context of modern painting of the Catalan territories, shows a blessing of the Child Jesus in an archaic almond tree on a starry sky. Around him, four angels celebrate his glory by sounding two trumpets, and resounding a lute and a guitar. Following the Angel on the guitar illustrating the timbre of 2021, the Angel with the Trumpet, painted in the left part of the canopy, illustrates the timbre of 2022 In a naïve pictorial style, with a simplified anatomy and a saturated chromaticism, this work arouses a singular sympathy. Timbre Andorre – Angel, Baldaqui de Sant Bartomeu – La Poste
Designer: Àlex Tena
Artist: Mestre Çanou
Layout: Stéphanie Ghinéa
Release date: November 7, 2022
Andorra (Sp)
Christmas Lights
1 stamp, cancel
offset
Artist: Itziar Badenas
Release date: November 7, 2022
Armenia
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
1 stamp, sheets of 10 (FDC coming)
Designer: Rem Saccani | Ռեմ Սահակյանի
Release date: December 21, 2022
Austria
Frohe Weihnachten
20 stamps
Release date: November 2, 2022
_____
Gesegnete Weihnachten
8 stamps
Release date: November 2, 2022
_____
Nostalgic Christmas magic
Postcards
6 postcards, 6 stamps
Release date: November 2, 2022
_____
Christmas on Holly Pond Hill
postcards
6 postcards, 6 stamps
Release date: November 2, 2022
_____
Nativity of Jesus
postcards
4 postcards, 4 stamps
Release date: November 2, 2022
_____
Snowflake
1 stamp, cancel
offset
Designer: Theresa Radlingmaier
Radlingmaier graduated from the University of Arts in Linz in 2013. She has designed a number of stamps for Austria Post, including 4 others for the 2022 program.
Release date: November 18, 2022
_____
Abbey, Psalterium, ca. 1260
1 stamp, cancel
offset
Melk Abbey – Melk Abbey – Europe’s great cultural ensemble (stiftmelk.at)
Designer: Kirsten Lubach
German born Lubach trained as an engraver at the drawing academy in Hanau, Carl-Duisberg-Stiftung and finally Muotoiluinstituutti in Lahti, Finlandm where she gained her master engraver credentials in 1999. She engraved her first stamp, Tierwelt Österreichs – Luchs, in 2006 and designed the first in 2012 . Her stamp portfolio now includes 66 stamps for Austria and 5 for Vatican City’s 2020 Christmas release. She will,once again design Austria’s 2023 Philatelic Day stamp, which will feature Insects and their Plants.
Working from her own engraving studio in Vienna, Kirsten often uses traditional copperplate engraving techniques in her designs:
“In the age of mass-produced goods, which are mainly all produced by computer, copper and steel engraving offers a particularly individual and personal way of expressing one’s own personality.
All printing plates are engraved by hand and printed on valuable Hahnemühle copper printing paper. Each print is therefore unique in terms of colour shading and expression.” Engraving studio Lubach, copper engravings – Philosophy (graveuratelier-lubach.com)
Release date: November 18, 2022
_____
Christmas – Werner Berg – Holy Family, 1933
1 stamp, FDC, cancel, info sheet
offset
The Werner Berg Museum has a good bio on Berg Werner Berg Museum | Werner Berg – Chronology of an artist’s life
Werner Berg Museum | Altar of the Holy Family
Werner Berg (1904-1981) spent most of his life as a farmer and painter on Rutarhof, an Alpine farm in Carinthia. The farming life also shaped his art, in which he depicted landscapes and people of his adopted homeland in paintings and woodcuts using his unmistakable two-dimensional style.
He created the Altar of the Holy Family in 1933 for the tender of an exhibition of religious modern art, but the design was rejected. The central section shows Joseph, Mary, and Jesus as simple peasants against a red background, while the four side images show nocturnal scenes from the life of Christ in shades of blue. The altar is exhibited at the Werner Berg Museum in Bleiburg/Pliberk in Carinthia. Commemorative stamp Werner Berg – Holy Family, 1933 – PostAG
Designer: Kirsten Lubach
Release date: November 25, 2022
_____
Gingerbread Man
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
offset
Designer: Kirsten Lubach
Release date: November 25, 2022
Australia
5 stamps, souvenir sheet, booklets, gutter strips, 5 maxi cards, 2 FDCs, numismatic cover, cancel, presentation pack
Designer: Simone Sakinofsky, secular design
Meet a Philatelic designer: Simone Sakinofsky – Australia Post (australiapostcollectables.com.au)
Designer: Gavin Ryan, religious design
The man behind the Fair Dinkum Aussie Alphabet stamp illustrations – Australia Post (australiapostcollectables.com.au)
Release date: November 1, 2022
Bahamas
Junkanoo
4 stamps, FDC, cancel
Stochastic Lithography
Junkanoo is an annual carnival that takes place on Boxing Day.
Many believe it was established by John Canoe, a legendary West African Prince, who outwitted the English and became a local hero. The most popular belief, however, is that it evolved from the days of slavery. Loyalists who migrated to The Bahamas in the late 18th Century brought their African slaves with them. The slaves were given three days off during the Christmas season, which they used to celebrate by singing and dancing in colourful masks, travelling from house to house, often on stilts. BAHAMAS STAMPS – pobjoystamps.com (pobjoymintstamps.com)
Designer: Bee Design
Photographer: Candis Marshall
Release date: November 25, 2022
Belarus
Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!
second image shows security feature
second image shows security feature
2 stamps, 1 FDCs, cancel, 2 maxi cards, 2 sheets of 6, souvenir sheet
offset
Designer: Yauheniya Biadonik
Release date: October 31, 2022
Belgium
Christmas under all its forms
2 stamps, 2 booklets of 10
Designer: Myriam Voz
Any collector of Belgium stamps will be familiar with Myriam’s designs. She has worked for La Poste since 1984 and is responsible for @ 84 stamp designs, including 6 stamps for 2022 program.
Release date: October 24, 2022
Bosnia Herzegovina (FBiH)
St. Nicholas and giving
2 stamps, FDC, cancel, sheets of 10
Designer: Ernesto Markota
Release date: December 1, 2022
Brazil
Christmas Star
1 stamp on souvenir sheet
Designer: Adriana Shibata
Release date: October 31, 2022
Bulgaria
1 stamp, cancel
offset digital
Designer: Omana Katsarska
Graphic artist, book designer & typography designer. Her Master’s thesis was Type Design for Children’s Reading Books.
Release date: November 11, 2022
Canada
Christmas Star
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
Canada issues two Christmas related stamps each year; one secular and one religious themed. Canada Post Magazine published an interesting, brief article showing Christmas stamps over the decades The festive tradition continues – Magazine | Canada Post (canadapost-postescanada.ca).
Designer: Paprika Designs
Illustrator: Fanny Roy
Release date: November 1, 2022
Holiday Birds
3 stamps, souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel
Cardinal, Bluejay & Grosbeak
Designer: Hambly & Woolley Inc.
Toronto based design firm Hambly & Woolley, Inc have won numerous awards for their creative work, including National Magazine Awards, Canada and UCDA Design Awards, USA. They described designing this Christmas set as “a labour of love for us and David Gray who supplied his review services to make sure the three beautiful birds were presented correctly”
Illustrator: Sandra Dionisi
Dionisi illustrated Canada Post’s 2020 Christmas stamps. Her art has appeared in New Yorker Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine & the Washington Post, to name a few publications. She has worked as an instructor at both Sheridan College and in the Faculty of Design at OCAD University in the past. Dionisi currently holds the position of professor at Faculty of Illustration at Seneca College/York University.
Release date: November 1, 2022
Christmas Island
Santa & Reindeer postman
2 stamps, souvenir sheet of 2, sheetlet pack (2 sheets), 2 gutter strip sheets, 2 FDCs, cancel
Artist: Imogen Joy
Artist, book illustrator and surface pattern designer Joy was an enthusiastic participant in Australia Post’s Christmas Island stamps. She wrote about her excitement about the 2022 Christmas stamps:
I couldn’t believe it earlier this year when I was approached by the wonderful design team at Australia Post to illustrate a special edition of Christmas stamps based on the beautiful flora and fauna of Christmas Island. I still can’t believe it! This illustration journey is so diverse and rich and I’m glad that I’ve never given up on my dream along the way. Imogen Joy Illustration (@imogenjoy_illustration) • Instagram photos and videos
Joy excels in richly detailed, fun and whimsical designs. Both stamps are filled with numerous hidden gems, including iconic crabs that inhabit Christmas Island, getting busy with Santa.
Designer: Jo Muré
Read more about Jo here.
Release date: November 1, 2022
Colombia
1 stamp, sheets of 12, FDC, cancel
Release date: December 7, 2022
Costa Rica
Children’s Welfare stamps
2 stamps
Release date: December 1, 2022
Croatia
Adoration of Kings and Shepherds
1 stamp, sheets of 20, FDC, cancel
Adoration of Kings and Shepherds – fresco from the Đakovo Cathedral (Cathedral basilica of St. Peter in Đakovo)
St. Peter’s Cathedral in Đakovo | (djos.hr)
The Adoration is one of 43 frescos created under the direction of Lodovic and his father Alexander-Maximilian Seitz.
Artist: Lodovic Seitz (1844-1908)
Designer: Ivana Vučić and Tomislav-Jurica Kaćunić
Photographer: Miro Martinić
Release date: November 28, 2022
Curaçao
December of Hope
6 stamps, FDC, cancel
Designer: Avantia Damberg
Release date: November 24, 2022
Cyprus
Santa Claus
4 stamps, 2 sheets of 8, 2 FDCs, 2 postcards, cancel
Release date: November 18, 2022
______
Three Wise Men and the Annunciation of the Shepherds
1 stamp, postcard, sheets of 8
This icon is from the Holy Church of Saint Savvas.
Release date: November 18, 2022
Czech Republic
Comet carrying Baby Jesus
1 stamp
Designer:
Release date: October 26, 2022
Estonia
Christmas Angels
2 stamps, FDC, cancel, booklet sheets of 10, Info card
Designer: Made Balbat
“Drawing has always been my passion, as long as I remember. Creating my world with lines and colors fascinates me.”About 1 — Made Balbat Art
Release date: October 20, 2022
Faroe Islands
Christmas tree & Advent
2 stamps, booklet of 6 (3 stamps each), 2 maxi cards, cancel
The first candlelight in the Advent crane shall be lit on the first Sunday of Advent. On the second Advent Sunday, two candles shall light – the trouts – and at the end, on the fourth Sunday in Advent, the candlelight shall be burned. One awakening and the respective Christmas custom, har mongdin av lights wake up to the human winter darkness and røkkur mocked the aura of winter sunshine and Christmas.
Stamps.fo
Artist: Heiðrikur á Heygum Heiðrik á Heygum (faroeislands.fo)
Release date: October 24, 2022
Christmas Seals – Jólaleikur_v.22a” (Christmas Game_v.22a)
3 Christmas cards
Money raised through the sale of these cards goes to the Faroese Christmas Stamp Fund
Gleðilig jól – Christmas in the Faroe Islands
Designer: Bárður Dal Christiansen CV | bardurdc (wordpress.com)
Bárður is one of our most active artists. He exhibits regularly in the Faroe Islands and around the world. Bárður works mostly with figurative painting, drawing, linoleum cuts and graphics. Bárður also works as an architect and is the founder of the art project “Gøtulist”, which among other things works with Street Art, urban art and building decorations.Stamps.fo
Christiansen designed last year’s franking labels Story Tellers.
Release date: October 24, 2022
Finland
Let Christmas Come
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Designer: Nina Kuu
Taiteilija – Nina Kuu Art
Release date: November 9, 2022
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Winter Wonderland
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Designer: Nina Kuu
Release date: November 9, 2022
_______
Fireworks
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Designer: Nina Kuu
Release date: November 9, 2022
________
Winter Light
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Plant blooms in the morning sun on Lapua’s Alajoki river & Steaming landscape from Malkakoski in Seinäjoki at sunset
“The unifying factor of the images is the soft light shining from the low winter frosty days, as well as snow and hoarfrost. At the time of shooting both shots, there was a severe frost, about -20 degrees Celsius. Sunlight is quite scarce in winter, but the low-shining frosty day sun is magical at best. The colder the weather, the more beautiful the shade of light, especially near sunrises and sunsets,” Jukka Risiko.
Photographer: Jukka Risiko
Risiko created the Autumn stamp series last year. His photographs for that series also played with light and shadows across Finland’s landscape. Fantastic Finland’s 2021 stamps | Bitter Grounds Magazine. If you have an Instagram account, you can follow Jukka’s work Jukka Risikko (@jukkarisikko) • Instagram photos and videos.
Release date: November 9, 2022
France
My Book of Fairy Tale Stamps
12 stamps in booklet
Photogravure
Designer: BETC
Release date: November 7, 2022
Georgia
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
3 stamps, sheet of 6
offset
Designer: G. Mamulashvili
Release date: December 27, 2022
Germany
The Message of the Angel: I Announce to You a Great Joy
1 stamp, sheets of 10
offset
Designer: Prof. Annette Le Fort and Prof. André Heers
Painting: Annunciation to the Shepherds by Sano di Pietro or Ansano di Pietro di Mencio (1406-1481)
oil on panel @ 1450.
Release date: November 2, 2022
Peaceful Christmas!
1 stamp, sheet of 10
offset
Snowy forest
Designer: Thomas Steinacker
Release date: November 2, 2022
Gibraltar
12 Days of Christmas
6 stamps, souvenir sheet, 2 FDCs, cancel, presentation packs
Designer: Stephen Perera
A long time designer and current Creative Director for Gibraltar Post, Perera is responsible for creating most of Gibraltar’s stamps.
Release date: November 2, 2022
Great Britain
Nativity
6 stamps, souvenir sheet, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels, sheet of 20, presentation pack, booklets and postcards also available
- Second Class The Annunciation
- Second Class Large Journey to Bethlehem
- First Class Holy Family
- First Class Large Angel
- £1.85 Angel and shepherds
- £2.55 Magi
Designer: Baxter & Bailey
The design firm of Baxter & Bailey has a page that has a fun look at the process for this set. Royal Mail Christmas Stamps – Baxter & Bailey (baxterandbailey.co.uk). Towards the end of the page, there are a few MP4s showing the shift in design, from basic to completed. Here’s one of the animations:
Artist: Katie Ponder
Katie’s work is developed digitally but to create a hand made quality she applies different textures from printing, collage and media experiments to create a rich and tactile look to her images. Recently Katie has enjoyed working with silkscreen printing and making limited edition prints. About — Katie Ponder (katieponderillustration.com)
Release date: November 3, 2022
Greece
Fairy Tales
4 stamps, souvenir sheet, 2 FDCs, cancel, 2 booklets of stickers, numbered set
Nutcracker, Harlequin, Ballerina, Rocking Horse
Designer: Anthoula Lynx
Release date: November 10, 2022
Greenland
2 stamps, booklets
offset
“When I was a kid, friends and family came by with rice paper Christmas lanterns and sang Christmas hymns. I joined them after removing Christmas decorations from the home. Skins from seal and polar bear are seen hung to dry on the traditional racks outside the house.
The city’s Christmas tree is lit. In the background is a snowy mountain landscape. In the sky is the ‘Poinsettia’. My family is typically born in December. Gifts, sweets, cakes and calendar candles.” Designer Mike Lynge
Designer: Mike Lynge
Release date: November 11, 2022
Guernsey
Guernsey Panto 2022: Sleeping Beauty
7 stamps, FDC, cancel, prestige booklet, 7 sheets of 10
Sleeping Beauty runs from Dec 17 to 31, 2022, at Sleeping Beauty ‐ GADOC | Guernsey Arts
If you are unfamiliar with this unique form of theatre, you can learn more about it here: A History of Panto — Imagine Theatre. Katie Shilton’s article breaks down the history of panto in an entertaining way.
Designer: Nick Watton
Watton also designed Alderney’s Robin Hood Panto stamps. The Devon based artist has designed stamps and FDCs for Jersey, Royal Mail, Alderney, Guernsey and Gibraltar. His passion for the “wilder parts of the United Kingdom” shine through in many of his stamps.
Release date: November 16, 2022
Hungary
The Holy Night
1 stamp, FDC, cancel, sheets of 50, strips of 5
The image on the stamp, The Holy Night, was painted sometime in the 1650s. Oil on canvas by Italian artist Carlo Maratta.
The painting is currently located at the Church of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami in Rome.
Designer: Attila André Elekes
Painter: Carlo Maratta (1625-1713)
Release date: October 25, 2022
Ireland
6 stamps, FDC, cancel booklets of 5
Designer: Unthink
Release date: November 3, 2022
Isle of Man
Manx Winter – Christmas 2022
6 stamps, FDC, cancel, 6 self adhesives, presentation pack, 6 sheets of 20
Manx born artist Ashby Smyth painted this series of watercolours from various sites around the island. She called them “captured moments” of her walks during the winter.
Artist: Julia Ashby Smyth
Julia Ashby Smyth is known for her book illustrations covering a wide variety of topics from wildlife, fantasy, cats (can never have too many cats), and children’s books.
Release date: November 2, 2022
Israel
Season’s Greetings
1 atm label
A special thanks to reader Lana for taking the time to write this explanation for us:
[Some] very interesting stamps of Israel have come out. Such stamps have been issued in Israel every year since 2004, counting on tourists, primarily from Russia (many sources write about this), who want to send postcards with a holiday stamp to their home or friends. Their release was the result of a compromise – the religious lobby, which carefully monitors the issue policy (there are a lot of interesting things with stamps withdrawn for religious reasons), agreed to issue these stamps – provided that Christmas is not directly mentioned on them.
So these are the only brands in the world where you can read “Seasonal greetings”. This is a politically correct form of Christmas greetings accepted in the English-speaking world so as not to offend representatives of other religions and non-believers. At the same time, it is timed precisely to the pre-Christmas period, but mentions some abstract “seasonal greetings”. A way to wish Merry Christmas without wishing Merry Christmas 🙂 Since 2004 (and some such stamps were issued back in the 90s), this is a unique greeting in combination with “… from the Holy Land!” (“Seasonal greetings from the Holy Land!”) is present on stamps of Israel.
Designer: Anis Kadis
Release date: December 21, 2022
Japan
Winter Greetings – Snow Globes & Snow Scenes
10 stamps on 2 sheets, 2 cancels
Designer: Yuji Kusuda | 楠田 祐士
Release date: November 16, 2022
Jersey
Festive Icons
8 stamps, FDC, cancel, presentation pack, 9 sheets of 10, 9 postcards
offset
Designer: So Design Consultants
So Design has created stamps for both Jersey and Royal Mail. This year, they designed Jersey’s June series Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – Platinum Jubilee. They also designed Jersey’s 2020 Christmas Views of Jersey set that utilised paper art design. If you are interested in seeing how the artwork evolved, So Design has a page devoted to the issue Designing festive paper-cut stamps for Jersey Post (so-design.co.uk).
Release date: November 14, 2022
Latvia
Christmas Gnomes
3 stamps, FDC, cancel, 3 sheets of 15
Designers: Evija Ķivule, Ģirts Grīva
Release date: November 11, 2022
Liechtenstein
Four Angels of Peace
4 stamps, 5 FDCs, cancel, 4 maxi cards, 4 sheets of 20
- View from the Universe I
- View from the Universe II
- Angel of Peace in Gold
- Angel of Peace in Silver
Designer: Jadwiga Falk-Ley
Release date: November 14, 2022
Lithuania
Old Town of Vilnius & Fairy tales
2 stamps, FDC, cancel
Designer: Dovydas Bakšis
Release date: November 25, 2022
Luxemburg
Winter Fun
2 stamps, FDC, 2 cancels
offset lithography
“Winter activities using a clever weasel, a nervous hedgehog, a cool-headed badger and a cute and playful mole”
Designer: Tanja Majerus
Luxemburg native Majerus now makes her home in Los Angeles, where she has works as a layout artist and animator for companies like Disney, DreamWorks, Universal and MGA. Among the many projects she has worked on are Sinbad, The Prince of Egypt and the tv series The Simpsons.
Release date: November 15, 2022 The second cancel issued: December 13, 2022
This article continues here with countries M to Z.
If you like Christmas stamps, you can find more here Christmas 2021
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