Decemberzegels - December stamps

Today's Sunday Stamps theme is secular Christmas stamps.

This year's non-religious stamps from USPS feature A Charlie Brown Christmas and Geometric Snowflakes. 

They're both fun, but I wish I could use postage from other countries sometimes.

Every year in the Netherlands the post office issues 'December stamps' which cost less than normal postage, and can be used to send mail during the month of December at the reduced rate. How cool is that?  Each year the designs are different, and the stamps are issued in panes of 10 or 20 different designs depending on the year.

As a bonus (for me), the font on the stamps is my personal favorite, Futura.

Here's this year's fantastic set; I wish they were available as Christmas cards, they are so cool.

 

From PostNL's site about the design for this year:

"The 2015 December stamps were meant to have a festive look and appeal to a wide target group. Graphic and industrial designer Tord Boontje of Studio Tord Boontje in London said: “My point of departure was to make up little stories with motifs that I often include in my work: animals, plants and flowers. Stories that can be captured in one single image. Or better said: each stamp is the starting point for a story. Based on that, everyone can use their imaginations or memories to make them their own. That’s how I wanted to allow everyone to have a connection with the stamps. Judging by the reactions, I’d say that’s what happens. For example, one person described one of the stamps as an example of a fun-loving dog playing during the fireworks on New Year’s, while someone else saw their mother, who always hung a Christmas star in the window during Christmas time. For me, it was the memory of my daughter enjoying the first, freshly fallen snow of the season with our dog.”

The ten stamps bear clear similarities, says Tord Boontje. “Within the narrative approach, I wanted to show how important it is to be together in December or to think of one another during that time. That’s why all the figures interact on the stamps: it is a kind of contact that clearly highlights the different characters. Another similarity is the element of light, whether it’s stars, crystals or fireworks. I wanted to make every stamp shine.”

And the cool promo video:

My favorite set is from 2007:

Although if I was sending cards from the Netherlands, I would also use this set issued in October this year that shows the country at night:

And two of my all-time favorite sets from the UK:

Wallace and Gromit from 2011- issued on this amazing mini sheet.

and the phenomenal Ice Sculptures from 2003