Thursday, 1st November 2007
 
What do seagulls, yachts, the Christmas Island Jetty crane, a pile of presents and Santa all have in common? The answer is they are all depicted on the special Christmas Island stamp issue, released by Australia Post on Thursday, 1 November 2007.
 
The Christmas Island stamp issue, features Santa enjoying various activities at Christmas Island. 
 
Australia Post produces a stamp issue for Christmas Island every second year – a tradition which first began in 1993. All illustrations include recognisable Christmas Island settings, and this is the first stamp to feature the familiar Christmas Island Jetty crane.
 
The Christmas Island stamps feature Santa coming to Christmas Island in a tiny yacht piled high with presents (45c stamp), Santa’s pile of presents being lifted up onto the Island Jetty by crane (90c stamp) and Santa resting on the beach surrounded by presents and overrun by excited crabs ($1.10 international post).
 
The Christmas Island stamps are illustrated by Lloyd Foye, a well-known Sydney-based artist, who creates beautiful and humorous works, often exploring Australian beach culture. The designer is Sally Piskuric of the Australia Post Design Studio.
 
In addition to the Christmas Island stamps, Australia Post is also celebrating a significant milestone in the history of Australian stamps when it releases the 50th issue of Christmas stamps in Australia.
 
“Australia Post has issued Christmas stamps every year since 1957 and more than 100 individual designs have been used to send Christmas mail nationally and internationally,” said Melanie Powell, National Media Manager Australia Post.
 
Five classic Australian Christmas stamp designs have been selected for the 50 Years of Christmas stamp issue. They each portray the artistic style, social mood and cultural values of the time and invite us to celebrate memories of the past five decades of Christmas stamps.
 
The 1957 Christmas stamp depicts a figure of a small kneeling child from the painting of The Infant Samuel 1776 by the English artist Sir Joshua Reynolds (50c stamp), the 1977 stamp portrays the image an the ‘Surfing Santa’ (45c stamp), the 1984 Christmas stamp is a detail of the Madonna and Child from a stained glass window made in 1938 for St.Bartholomew’s Church of England ($1.10 stamp). The 1990 stamp shifts the place of the Nativity from its traditional scene to the Australian bushland and depicts the baby Jesus surrounded by native koala and kangaroo (45c stamp) and the 1996 Christmas stamp illustrates a more traditional Christmas story with Madonna and Child (45c stamp).
 
When choosing Christmas cards, senders should remember to select standard card sizes (no larger than 130mm x240mm) to qualify for the discounted 45c stamp rate for Australia and $1.05 stamp rate for overseas.
 
Australia Post is proud to support the 'Cards 4 Planet Ark' campaign. From Boxing Day until the end of January, one million free recycling envelopes will be available from participating Post outlets.
 
 
This year, Australia Post will release its 50th edition of Christmas Stamps.  What happened at Christmas 50 years ago?
 
The first Christmas stamp was issued by Australia Post in 1957. Australia was the first Commonwealth country to issue a stamp specifically for postage on Christmas greetings cards.

• Elvis Presley released his first Christmas album, recorded in Hollywood, on RCA Records in 1957. The record was issued initially in a deluxe limited edition and was the first of two Christmas-themed albums Presley recorded.
• Carols by Candlelight in Melbourne was held at the Alexandra Gardens for the last time in 1957. The following year, the venue was changed to the new Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
• The Queen's Christmas Broadcast was televised into homes for the first time ever in 1957. It was also the 25th anniversary of the first Christmas Broadcast on the radio.
• The much-loved children’s book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr Seuss was published for the first time in 1957. Since the first edition, over one million copies have been sold.
• The Australian Government acquired Christmas Island in 1957 from the Singapore Government for  2.9 million pounds.
• The Melbourne tradition of the Myer Christmas Windows, which now spans 51 years, began in 1956 with a display titled “Santa and the Olympics.” In its second year in 1957, the theme was “The Nutcracker”.
   

More Christmas information

• Christmas Island 2007 stamps
• Background Information
• Christmas 2007 Seamail Closing Dates 
• Ten Handy Hints for using seamail
• Christmas Fact Sheet 2007