Christmas 1997 Stamps

On the 12th November 1997 the Office of the Postmaster General will issue a set of four stamps in the annual Christmas series.

The stamps are being issued in the following values: 6c, 6c + 2c surcharge, 16c + 3c surcharge, 26c + 3c surcharge.

The stamps are designed by Harry Borg and printed by Printex Limited. This set will be withdrawn from sale on the 12th March 1998.

This year the Christmas postage stamp set makes a return to the traditional pastoral view of the first family of Bethlehem. The illustration on the First Day Cover envelope shows a statue of St. Joseph holding the Child Jesus, venerated throughout Malta with a national holiday on the 19th March of each year.

Since the launch of this series in 1964 the Christmas stamp has gone through various evolutions, sometimes revolutions as regards content, shape and size. We have had stamps that promoted traditional Christian values, stamps which showed how the Christmas season has effected Maltese culture, stamps which were a showcase of sacred art and stamps which were also stylistic and artistic interpretations of the Christmas scene.

Although not always evident, Christmas stamps have been designed using a wide variety of mediums such as paints, photographic compositions, clay figurines and terracotta artworks, according to the preferences and skills of the artist and designer. From 1964 up to 1979 all Christmas issues were designed by the Dean of Maltese philatelic art, Chev. E.V. Cremona. During this period the Christmas stamp metamorphosized through various innovative shapes and sizes, but these forms were never allowed to overshadow a distinctive use of stylized images and bright colours. Following this period of early experimentation the stamp designs followed a pattern of reproducing sacred works of art, either in whole or in part. Gradually the mantle of designing Christmas stamps was passed on to a coterie of capable artists who designed a multitude of diverse artworks of an original nature and also adapted works of sacred art.

As in previous years, the surcharge collected from the sale of these stamps will be distributed among Child Welfare and Philanthropic Organisations.