This year, Posti’s Christmas stamps will feature traditional Christmas imagery combined with more modern digital line art. The Christmas stamps designed by Klaus Welp portray a Eurasian bullfinch, a Christmas tree and the northern lights.
This year’s Christmas stamps will be available from Wednesday, November 3. Stamps suitable for all winter greetings will also be issued at the same time. We have compiled all the information related to Christmas at posti.fi/joulu.
“Many have warm memories of Christmas stamps already from their childhood. Despite the modern twist, we wanted the stamps to retain a warm visual narrative and message. By going through quite a number of drafts, we were able to find a style that works for the stamps,” says Tommi Kantola, Posti’s Design Manager responsible for stamp production.
In Finland, the first Christmas greetings were sent in the early 1880s, and the Christmas card tradition is still alive. Last year, nearly 18 million traditional Christmas greetings were sent in Finland. The first Finnish Christmas stamp was issued in 1973.
This is how Klaus Welp describes this year’s Christmas stamps:
Eurasian Bullfinch
“I sought a balance of humour and warmth in the stamp. The light of a Christmas Morning, crisp cold weather and a content Eurasian bullfinch eating rowan berries.” Eurasian Bullfinch is a no-value indicator stamp for Christmas greetings that will be issued as a 20-stamp sheet.
Spruce
“Christmas trees have been portrayed in numerous stamps in many different ways. I wanted to create a form that is both decorative and simple for this familiar subject.” Spruce is a domestic no-value indicator stamp that will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet.
Northern Lights
“Northern lights against a dark sky are a stunning sight. Portraying them simply but beautifully was an interesting challenge.” Northern Lights is an international no-value indicator stamp that will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet.
Winter arrives with the first snow
The First Snow stamps for winter greetings were designed by Matti Pikkujämsä. “I first sketched soft moods and simple subjects and compositions that bring warmth to a cold time.”
“The dog and the snowflake in the first stamp are dedicated to dog people but also to all of us who have sometimes tried to catch a snowflake on our tongue. The second stamp depicts the friendship between a snowman and a bird. The cold can be warded off with closeness,” says Pikkujämsä.
First Snow is a 10-stamp sheet with two different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
You can find all Christmas mail information at posti.fi/joulu. On the website you can find the dates and instructions for sending Christmas cards and parcels, the emptying times for mailboxes, information about Posti’s service points, information about products and services, etc. Posti’s Christmas website opens on November 1, 2021.
Christmas greetings with a Eurasian Bullfinch Christmas no-value indicator stamp (the stamp has a snowflake symbol) will be delivered in time for Christmas as long as they are mailed by Tuesday, December 14. Cards can be dropped off in a mailbox until midnight on that day. The price of the stamp is EUR 1.30.
Christmas cards with a Spruce domestic no-value indicator stamp (the stamp’s symbol is a map of Finland) will be delivered in time for Christmas as long as they are mailed by Sunday, December 19, in accordance with the emptying schedules for mailboxes and Posti’s drop-off points. The price of the stamp is EUR 1.85.
If you are running late with your Christmas cards, you can add a Plus Sticker next to the domestic no-value indicator stamp, in which case you can still mail your cards on Tuesday, December 21, in accordance with the emptying schedules for mailboxes and Posti’s drop-off points.
The last mailing dates for Christmas greetings to recipients outside of Finland can be found on Posti’s Christmas website at posti.fi/joulu.
