Royal Mail unveils Christmas stamps marking 60th anniversary

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 11:25 · Archive

Royal Mail has revealed five new Christmas stamps depicting Nativity scenes, marking 60 years since the first festive stamps in 1966.

Royal Mail has unveiled its Christmas stamps for 2026, featuring scenes from the Nativity. The series of five stamps have been jointly created by graphic designer Gareth Howat and illustrator Rebecca Sutherland. The images depict Mary and Joseph travelling, the infant Jesus, an angel, the shepherds and the Three Wise Men, capturing familiar moments from the Christmas story.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Christmas special stamps. The first Christmas stamp collection was issued on 1 December 1966, following a children's art competition announced by then-postmaster general Tony Benn in May that year. Previous recent collections have featured snowy scenes of UK cathedrals or lyrics from famous carols, with 2025 also showing Nativity scenes.

David Gold of Royal Mail said: 'There's something very special about receiving a card or letter through the post at Christmas. We hope this year's Christmas stamps will add an extra touch of festive magic to the millions of greetings sent to family and friends at home and around the world.'

Sutherland said it was an 'absolute honour' to have been given the opportunity to illustrate the Christmas stamps. She described designing them as 'right at the top of my list' and said being part of the stamps' 'long and distinguished history really does feel like a career highlight'. She added that she had loved stamps since childhood, collecting them from envelopes and arranging them into sets, so 'being asked to create a set myself feels incredibly special'.

How it is being reported

• Royal Mail release five new Christmas stampsThis year marks the 60th anniversary of the first-ever Christmas special stamp.Daily Express · 3 Nov, 11:03
• Christmas 2026 stamps unveiled by Royal MailThe annual Christmas collection of five stamps feature scenes from the Nativity.BBC News · 3 Nov, 02:27
• Royal Mail unveils new Christmas stamps with traditional Nativity scenes for 60th anniversaryRoyal Mail has revealed its new Christmas stamps ahead of the festive seasonThe Independent · 3 Nov, 00:01

In this story: Royal Mail · Gareth Howat · Rebecca Sutherland · David Gold · Tony Benn

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