Nativity story depicted in Nov. 4 set from Great Britain’s Royal Mail

By David Hartwig

A set of five stamps issued Nov. 4 by Great Britain’s Royal Mail showcases key figures from the biblical Christmas story.

The Christmas set includes four nondenominated stamps: second-class for standard mail (currently 87 pence), second-class for large mail (£1.55), first-class for standard mail (£1.70), and first-class for large mail (£3.15). The other stamp in the set is denominated £3.40 (the international standard rate).

Royal Mail defines standard-size mail as letters not exceeding 24 centimeters in length, 16.5cm in width and 0.5 cm in thickness. Large letters can be up to 35.3cm in length, 25cm in width and 2.5cm thick. There is a 100-gram weight limit for letters sent with any of the five stamps.

The artwork on the stamps consists of collages created by British illustrator Paula Doherty.

The second-class stamp for standard mail shows the archangel Gabriel, who announced to the virgin Mary that she would conceive and bear a son to be named Jesus. This event is celebrated as the feast of the Annunciation annually on March 25, nine months before Christmas.

The next stamp on the sheet, the second-class stamp for large mail, shows Joseph and the pregnant Mary en route to Bethlehem. According to the Gospel of Luke, Joseph and the pregnant Mary traveled from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem to be registered for a census ordered by Caesar Augustus.

Mary gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem, and the first-class stamp for standard mail shows her holding the infant Jesus.

According to the Gospel of Luke, after the birth of Jesus, an angel appeared to shepherds in the region and told them a savior had been born. The first-class stamp for large mail depicts these shepherds, who traveled to Bethlehem, found the family, and told others about the angel’s message.

The account of the Nativity in the Gospel of Matthew includes the Magi (also known as the three kings or the three wise men) who traveled to Bethlehem at the behest of King Herod.

The magi used a star for navigation and presented Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh once they arrived. The £3.40 stamp shows the three magi with their gifts and the star shining above them.

The three wise men also appear in the background of a souvenir sheet included with the Nov. 4 issue. The sheet includes all five stamps in the set and was illustrated by Doherty.

Royal Mail also offers a presentation pack with all five stamps along with text that “reveals how illustrator Paula Doherty’s artistic technique of assembling various fragments into harmonious designs echoes the Christian belief in gathering a fragmented world into a deeper unity,” according to Royal Mail.

Cartor Security Printers printed the self-adhesive stamps and the souvenir sheet by gravure. The stamps and souvenir sheet were designed by Hat-trick Design, using Doherty’s illustrations.

The stamps measure 39 millimeters by 30mm and are perforated gauge 15 by 14.5. They were printed in sheets of 50 (two panes of 25) for each of the five stamps. The first-class and second-class stamps for standard-size mail were also issued in separate booklets of eight and four.

Royal Mail offers two first-day covers with the issue. One is franked with the set of five stamps, and the other is franked with the souvenir sheet. An available Tallents House postmark is designed with a stylized snowflake. An alternative postmark from Bethlehem, Llandeilo in Wales shows an illustration of an angel with horn.

A pane of 20 stamps, what Royal Mail calls a collectors sheet, includes eight first-class stamps, eight second-class stamps, one first-class for large mail stamp, one second-class for large mail stamp and two £2.80 stamps, and attached labels feature images from a festive nighttime scene.

Other products offered with this Christmas set include a set of six postcards reproducing the designs of the stamps and the souvenir sheet.

The stamps and related materials can be ordered from Royal Mail’s website www.royalmail.com/christmas2025. Ordering information is also available from Royal Mail, Tallents House, 21 S. Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB, Scotland.

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