Sparkled Christmas stamps from Aland

Date of Issue : 9 October 2018

Aland Post added a little sparkle to its Christmas stamps through the use of holographic foil.

The designs show Christmas decorations. These stamps are nondenominated paying a special Christmas rate.

One stamp is inscribed “Julpost” (Christmas mail) and is for use on mail to Aland, Finland and Sweden. The design depicts a candle and branches of a Christmas tree with red lights and a large heart ornament. Holographic foil was used to emphasize the lights and heart.

Today, the Christmas tree is the most common Christmas decoration. The earliest Christmas tree ornaments were candles and edible figures made from bread, apples and sweets. During the latter half of the 1800s, decorations made from paper, wood and other types of material in the form of stars, paper chains and other figures began to appear. Tinsel stars quickly became popular when they first appeared on the market, and a large star is often used as a tree-topper. Today, the heart is another common type of Christmas decoration but, previously, it mainly appeared as pleated wicker baskets. Candles were otherwise the most important type of Christmas decoration. Prior to the introduction of electrical Christmas lights in the 1920s, the tree was illuminated by wax candles.

 Åland-born Emelie Bang is the artist behind the glittering Christmas tree ornaments adorning the stamps.