Christmas stamps review (2025)

Instead of reviewing different countries' Christmas stamps individually, I thought it would be better to look at them together. I'm not going to give any lengthy reviews - I'll just make a few short comments and give a mark.

Here are a few of my thoughts about the different new Christmas stamps from around the world. I've tried to cover as many of them as possible, but no doubt there will be a few countries I have missed.

Great Britain

I will start with our own Christmas stamps. What has Royal Mail done this year? Well, nothing very exciting. We've seen so many Christmas stamps like this before and these look very much like the 2022 stamps. After last year's brilliant set showing cathedrals across the UK, this is a bit disappointing. The QR codes don't help improve the look of the stamps, but we're used to these on Royal Mail Christmas stamps now. Not terrible, just a bit underwhelming.

Score: 3/10

Isle of Man

The Isle of Man has a colourful Christmas issue with the theme Crank up Christmas. The stamps have been designed by students from the University College Isle of Man and each stamp tells a unique story. Some show Manx traditions, while some focus on modern events like the lights switch-on and the Santa on a Bike fundraiser (which sounds like fun). Score: 7/10

Alderney / Guernsey

Now, I think this is very clever. This is a joint effort from Guernsey and Alderney celebrating the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. The first six "days" of the song inspire the Alderney stamps, while the final six are the subject of the Guernsey stamps. The designs are different for the two issues, but they have the same illustrative style. It's very fresh and vibrant. The artwork is very storybook-like and the stamps have plenty of Christmas vibes. It would be unfair not to give a joint score for these two as the two sets work together to tell a story (or sing a song). Score: 8/10 Jersey

Jersey's theme is "Letters to Santa" and they have eight stamps that celebrate the tradition of writing to Santa Claus. These are part of a Jersey Post project called Once Upon A Letter, which aims to encourage people - and especially children - to write letters. Score: 9/10 Aland

Nothing says love like a heart shape on the ice. Makes you wonder how the skater on the left has managed not to leave any marks on the ice, though... Score: 6/10 Andorra (French)

The Christmas stamp from French Andorra shows a Galette des Rois (Cake of Kings), a traditional dessert of flaky puff pastry with an almond cream filling, which celebrates the wise men's visit to baby Jesus. It is traditional to put a small charm inside the cake. Score: 6/10 Andorra (Spanish)

What's happening here? It looks pretty wild, but this is a celebration of Cavaleada de Reis (The Three Kings Parade) which is a big thing in Andorra. It's really colourful and there is this huge fantasy horse that one of the kings is riding on. I suppose it's a bit like a carnival float turned into a magical Christmas dream. I'm afraid I'm not a big fan but it is different. Score: 3/10 Australia (secular issue)

Australia issues two Christmas sets - one religious and one secular. Here is the secular issue, showing Santa Claus, seals and various birds enjoying a sunny Australian Christmas. Score: 10/10 Australia (religious issue)

This is Australia's religious Christmas issue. Traditionalists will be happy, but it isn't very exciting. Score: 4/10 Austria

Austria has chosen this minimalist - and boring - take on Christmas trees. Score: 3/10 Belarus

Here is an ultra-traditional stamp from Belarus, paired with a similarly-designed Christmas label/seal. These look like they came straight out of a super old-school Christmas storybook. One has this giant fancy bell with a tiny castle or church inside it (which is actually quite cool), and the other shows a girl decorating a Christmas tree like she’s in an old movie. Everything is super shiny, sparkly, and perfect, like the artist wanted to make the most traditional Christmas ever. Great for people who love nostalgia. Score: 8/10 Belgium

These stamps look like someone took Christmas magic and turned it into glowing sparkles. The blue one is basically Santa’s sleigh made out of stardust, flying across space like he’s doing a cosmic speedrun. And the red one looks like a Christmas tree made entirely of glitter that’s exploding everywhere. They’re super shiny and super dramatic. I don't know if I'll buy them, but I might use the tree stamp as the the wallpaper on my phone! Score: 6/10 Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia's "traditional" take is a bit different, going with logs and a simple decoration. Score: 5/10 Bulgaria

This looks like Christmas if it was turned into a wild circus poster. I like the super colorful reindeer that looks like it’s made out of coloured paper, and a person riding it who’s dressed like a mix between an elf and a snowboarder. Everything is wiggly and swirly, like the whole stamp is dancing. The writing is all arty and curly too, so the whole stamp feels like a festival explosion. It’s fun in an "I-have-no-idea-what’s-happening-but-I-like-it" kind of way. Score: 6/10 Canada

Canada has opted for a mixture of secular and religious. We have three stamps showing cute winter animals and then another showing a charming stamp which has all the ingredients of the traditional nativity - Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, animals, the star, angels and the wise men. Score: 8/10 Croatia

WOPA's website tells us that "the poetic scene depicted on this stamp is rich in narrative and detail, made for slow observation and discovery." I'm not sure what that actually means. It seems unsure of which period it is in, mixing the Biblical nativity with a wintry scene in a 19th century European town in which all the characters are wearing 15th century clothing. Very strange. Score: 3/10 Estonia

I don't know much about Christmas in Estonia, but I love these stamps. They're so nicely created and very attractive. I get the impression they're about friendship and sharing gifts. I really hope there is an Estonian legend about the Christmas Stork who carries children to the moon! Score: 10/10 Faroe Islands

Here are the stamps from the Faroe Islands, which are very...erm... Faroe Islands-ish. They show Christmas pixies playing music in the snow. In Faroese folklore, pixies are depicted as small people who care for animals, live in remote areas like mountains or farms and leave tiny footprints in the snow at Christmas. They like people treating them well and many people leave out a bowl of porridge for them at Christmas to avoid any mischievous tricks! Score: 4/10 Finland

Finland's Christmas stamps show Santa with lots of happy gingerbread people. I don't like the QR codes, but they don't spoil the stamps at all. Score: 10/10 France

What a huge set from France! Their twelve stamps (maybe one for each day of Christmas) offer good wishes ("Christmas", "Happiness", "Wishes", "Holidays", "Happy New Year" and "2026") alongside simple images of Christmas decorations and a wintry outdoor scene. Score: 5/10

Germany

Germany has gone for a traditional stained glass nativity scene. It is nice although not very adventurous. Sadly, the QR code spoils it. Score: 6/10

Gibraltar

These Gibraltar stamps look a lot of fun, but what do I know? The Gibraltar Stamps website tells us: "Together, these crystalline figures illuminate the enduring meanings of Christmas: love, generosity, peace, and the comforting light that carries us through the winter, toward renewal and hope. In their radiant simplicity, they remind us that beauty and meaning often lie in the small, shimmering details that make the season truly timeless." I didn't see any of this symbolism - I just thought they were just nice little crystal artworks! Score: 10/10

Greece

Lots of bright colours in these festive, and very loud, stamps from Greece. Score: 4/10 Greenland

These are fantastic, showing a Greenlandic Christmas with so many wonderful details. Beautiful and unique. Score: 10/10 Hungary

Hungary keeps it simple for Christmas, celebrating people coming together. Score: 6/10 Latvia

There is so much going on in these stamps, where do you begin? It looks like the stamp designer has had a bit too much to drink and decided rectangles are boring. The stamps look like a bunch of giant cartoon gloves got dropped into a video-game world full of random winter stuff — snowmen, trees, sleds, and little doodle creatures. Everything’s super colorful and blocky, like a mix between LEGO instructions and a funky TikTok animation. It’s chaotic but in a cool, arty way, like the whole scene is telling you, "It’s winter, but let’s make it super-weird." They're definitely different, and they're surely the only stamps in the world to show a snowman on a zimmer frame wearing a fez! Score: 8/10 Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein has gone all traditional and sentimental this Christmas. Very nicely done though. Score: 7/10 Lithuania

These are geometric and glowy, as if they are from some futuristic Christmas video game. Score: 5/10 Ireland

Here is another geometrical design from Ireland, created by someone who absolutely loves triangles. Score: 5/10

Malta

This fun set from Malta shows Santa Claus and his nine reindeer. With a price of €4.50 for the set of ten stamps, this has to be the best value Christmas issue this year. Score: 9/10 Monaco

Monaco treats us to some medieval religious art. Score: 7/10 New Zealand

New Zealand's Christmas stamps show grids of identical baubles...with one of them different, showing an object that gives a Kiwi twist to the festive season. "Meri Kirihimete" is basically “Merry Christmas” in Māori, which is a nice touch. Score: 7/10 Norway

Norway gives us pretty Scandinavian scenes in snowglobes, and what looks like a giant cat. Score: 8/10 Poland

Aren't these wonderful? These stamps from Poland also have a local dimension as they show traditional Silesian baubles. Score: 8/10 San Marino

This is San Marino's Christmas stamp. It is traditional but there is also a local connection: WOPA's website states that "the artwork is taken from Piero della Francesca’s Polittico della Misericordia (Painting of Mercy), kept at the Civic Museum in Sansepolcro." Score: 9/10 Slovenia

What does Slovenia have for us? A very detailed gingerbread decoration and a nice traditional crib scene. Score: 8/10

Slovakia

Slovakia's stamp, entitled "Christmas Mail", is inspired by a child's drawing of a Christmas tree with a present. Score: 8/10 Spain

Oh my! What is going on here? This colourful stamp celebrates "Cities of Christmas" and captures the essence of Christmas lights and decorations in Madrid. Will there be more of this series in future years? Score: 8/10 Sweden

Sweden has ten stamps focusing on Christmas decorations. Score: 7/10 Switzerland

Switzerland's Christmas stamps show some stunning winter photography. Score: 8/10

USA

These "Holiday Cheer" stamps from the USA show amaryllis flowers, a festive wreath, winter fruit and cardinals on mistletoe. Score: 5/10

CINDERELLAS I will finish with some Cinderellas that I have discovered in the last few weeks which, while not being stamps as such, are definitely worth including here. Denmark (Christmas seals)

Here are some Christmas seals - basically, seasonal labels with no postage value - from Denmark. The theme is "Christmas hope and wishing stars". Score: 8/10 Faroe Islands (Christmas seals)

These labels from the Faroe Islands show local towns and villages. They are colourful but don't really say much about Christmas or wintertime. Score: 5/10 Isle of Islay

These stamps from Islay are really just local identity labels but they are very nice. They show snowy paintings of all of the island's churches and the famous Kildalton Cross. Score: 7/10 Sovereign Military Order of Malta

The Order of Malta issues a Christmas stamp every year, which can be used for postage in Malta and some other destinations, but they are normally seen as Cinderellas. The Order usually goes for the traditional take on Christmas and this year is no exception. Score: 8/10 This year I have reviewed 45 different Christmas issues! My top ten 2025 Christmas stamps are (in order): 1. Greenland 2. Finland 3. Gibraltar 4. Australia (secular) 5. Estonia 6. Malta 7. Jersey 8. San Marino 9. Norway 10. Poland (and shout-outs to Latvia, Belarus and Alderney/Guernsey). My sister Heidi has also picked her top ten. These are (in order): 1. Norway 2. Andorra (French) 3. Alderney / Guernsey 4. Gibraltar 5. Switzerland 6. Latvia 7. Bulgaria 8. Belgium 9. Slovakia 10. Germany (with commendations to Malta and Sweden!) We both agree there are some very impressive Christmas stamps this year, but do you agree with my reviews? Which were your favourites?