The Countdown to 2030: Why We Need a 150th Anniversary Carols Stamp Set

It's that time of year now when we think of the annual Royal Mail Christmas stamps.

Most Christmas stamps focus on the familiar themes, but stamp collectors also love a major historical milestone. It just so happens that a pretty important one is not far away... December 2030 will mark the 150th anniversary of the very first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. This global Christmas tradition—now broadcast to millions from King's College by the BBC—didn’t actually start in Cambridge, but in Cornwall at Truro Cathedral on Christmas Eve in 1880.

I believe this is such an important cultural anniversary that it needs to be commemorated in Royal Mail's 2030 Christmas issue.

Because Royal Mail plans its Special Stamp calendar two to three years in advance, the time to act is right now.

That is why Xanthe’s Stamp Magazine is officially launching a campaign - called Operation Carol - to secure a dedicated Royal Mail Special Stamp issue for December 2030 to mark this incredible 150-year milestone of British religious, choral and cultural heritage.

As a 14-year-old stamp collector, I know how vital it is for our hobby to celebrate stories that connect history, art and community. The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a vital of British identity that has spread to churches across the globe. A dedicated stamp issue would not only delight collectors but would showcase the living history of our choral traditions to people around the world.

But I cannot do this alone. To convince the Royal Mail Stamp Advisory Committee, we need to build a coalition of support from music lovers, historians, philatelists and the general public. Over the coming months, I will be reaching out to cathedral leaders, youth stamp organizations, and cultural figures to back our proposal.

If you want to see this beautiful piece of musical history immortalized on a first-class stamp in 2030, there are three things you can do: Provide a quote: Send me a brief, one-paragraph statement of support that I can feature on my website and in my formal submission to Royal Mail.

Write directly: Contact Royal Mail's Stamp Programme Manager directly to advocate for the 2030 issue. I think multiple individuals and organisations making the argument for this will be more powerful than a 14-year old girl or a single letter signed by multiple people.  The address to write to is: Special Stamp Programme Manager, Stamps and Collectibles, Royal Mail UK Letters, 2nd Floor, 185 Farringdon Road, London, EC1A 1AA. (I would be incredibly grateful if you could send a copy of your letter to me so that I can track our campaign's progress and feature your support in Xanthe's Stamp Magazine.)

Spread the word: Share our upcoming public petition with your members, choir networks, or followers.

The petition can be found here.

Together we can do this - let's make it happen!