Christmas stamps: religious or secular?

Apologies that I haven't written very much recently. My dad has not been well and he helps with the editing. Also, there's a lot of thing that happen in schools in December and it is fair to say that I have been a bit distracted.demanded that the Royal Mail should rule out snowmen, parcels and snowflakes from its Christmas stamps and use only Christian themes in future.

However, last week I was looking on the Jersey Stamps facebook page. They have issued a fabulous set of Christmas stamps called "Letters to Santa" which celebrated Christmas while also promoting letter writing. Most people were leaving very positive comments, but there was one person who complained about Jersey Post "taking Christ out of Christmas".

This isn't unusual. There have always been complaints that Royal Mail Christmas stamps are somehow taking the meaning away from Christmas. People like this only ever want to see nativity scenes on stamps - anything like Father Christmas, snowmen, winter scenes, Christmas trees, lights and reindeer. I don't know about carol singers - maybe they're just about acceptable!

In 2010 the Daily Mail was very angry at Royal Mail's Wallace and Gromit Christmas issue, claiming that "Royal Mail bans Christmas". It was all rubbish of course, but it shows the depth of feeling some people have. Even earlier than this, in 2004, The Guardian reported that the Church of England "demanded that the Royal Mail should rule out snowmen, parcels and snowflakes from its Christmas stamps and use only Christian themes in future".

Only Christian themes? Why? Surely even religious people can understand that Royal Mail isn't there to promote religion, and that having both secular and religious stamps strikes a good balance?

Things have perhaps moved on in 22 years and the Church of England isn't saying these things any more. But some people are. So, what do I think? Well, if you have read my review of 46 different Christmas issues from across the world, you will realise that I like religious Christmas stamps. Or at least some of them. I think religious stamps can be absolutely brilliant if done well. They reflect tradition and belief. They remind us of the Christmas story. In some cases, they also remind us of Church people who have done outstanding things - such as the hymnwriter Charles Wesley. Royal Mail dedicated this 2007 set to him.

Mr Wesley wrote the carol Hark the Herald Angels Sing, which my dad has actually written a book about (he is really into the history of Christmas music in a big way, it's all we ever hear in our house). These stamps were a great tribute to Wesley and the carol itself. I am sure even non-religious people appreciated this.

So yes, I think religious Christmas stamps can be really good. But then again, so can secular Christmas stamps. Plenty of non-religious people enjoy Christmas. It means different things to different people, and in my view that is fine. Some people don't particularly warm to the religious side of Christmas, but they do like winter scenes, holly, snowmen or robins on postboxes. And, if we're being honest, if secular stamps are done well then they can also reflect history and tradition. Take a look at this year's Christmas stamp from Belarus - it is clearly traditional but it isn't religious.

Royal Mail seems to alternate between religious and secular. Some countries, like Canada and Australia, issue separate secular and religious Christmas stamps every year, which seems a reasonable approach. The choice between religious and secular Christmas stamps shows how one holiday can have many meanings and so I think that offering both kinds of stamps is probably the best way to do it.

People celebrate Christmas in different ways and I don't see why our stamps shouldn't reflect this. One of the great things about Christmas stamps is that - unlike other commemorative issues - they are widely used and people notice them. They tell a story, not only about Christmas, but how we about a mix of tradition, belief, diversity and celebration.

I have looked at Royal Mail's recent stamps from 2005 onwards. The popular belief is that Royal Mail prefers secular to religious but that doesn't tally with the facts. From 2005 until 2019 Royal Mail alternated between religious and secular. Then in 2020, which should have been a secular year, there was another religious issue. In fact, we've had six years on the bounce of religious-themed stamps so maybe it is time for a secular theme in 2026?

For me the best Christmas set is last year's issue featuring snowy cathedrals. It's clearly a religious theme, but the pictures were not the normal nativity scenes. It also celebrated the different parts of the UK, showing cathedrals in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Westminster, Armagh and Bangor. I thought there was something for everyone in this and that Royal Mail managed to find a great balance between religion, history and a celebration of winter.

My personal opinion is that the best Christmas stamps are creative and thoughtful. Sometimes they may be religious, and sometimes they may be secular. Sometimes, like the Wesley and Cathedrals issue - or even the older sets where stamps showed children's Christmas art - they combine elements from each.

My favourite stamp issue from 2025 is this from Greenland. On one stamp we see people carol singing outside a church and on the other there are people preparing to go dog sledding.

This really captures the spirit of a Greenland Christmas and emphasises both the religious and secular sides of Christmas. It seems perfect to me!