Christmas & Cycle-stamps

As a “bicycle enthusiast,” your thoughts often turn to the theme of “bicycles.” If you then have the idea to write an article for the stamp blog, and you also think of the month of December, you quickly arrive at the title given to this article. Then the “Googling” begins, one “surfs” through one’s own bicycle stamp collection, and ideas start to emerge.

The first idea

Oh yes... there is an island somewhere called Christmas Island. They probably have bicycles there too. Maybe even on a postage stamp. And sure enough, actually not surprised, I come across a few. Christmas Island Christmas Island is an island in the Indian Ocean 350 km south of Java, belonging to the Commonwealth of Australia. Approximately 1700 people live there. The island is best known for the large number of red crabs that live there. The annual migration of these crabs has been captured in many nature documentaries.

Santa Claus and his gifts

The giving of gifts around Christmas dates back to ancient times, but in the Netherlands, for a long time, the Sinterklaas celebration was primarily the festival of gifts. At the end of the 20th century, Santa Claus seemed poised to displace Sinterklaas. It did not come to that, but many people do give each other gifts at Christmas as well. This custom has led to criticism that the holiday has become too commercial. Santa Claus cannot do it alone and, of course, has helpers.

Santa Claus is a descendant of Sinterklaas and is also associated with gnomes, just as Sinterklaas traces back to Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. The tradition of Sinterklaas was brought to America by emigrants. In America, Sinterklaas became Santa Claus. Santa Claus has roughly the same customs as Sinterklaas, such as giving presents, a long beard, and a red suit, but he has since been stripped of all religious symbolism.

Children's toys on wheels, including a tricycle.

Santa Claus originated in the form we know today in the United States in the late nineteenth century and spread worldwide through Coca-Cola advertising. This explains why Santa Claus may have worn a green suit in depictions, whereas the American Santa Claus nowadays wears exclusively red and white clothing (like the Coca-Cola logo).

Christmas tree

According to Luther, the Christmas tree reminds the Christian of the tree in paradise; the ornaments of the fruit Adam and Eve ate. The star on top of the tree represents the star that guided the Wise Men to the birthplace of Jesus; sometimes, therefore, the star is replaced by a star. And under the Christmas tree, there is room for the gifts. Remarkably often, a bicycle (or a small one). Take a look.

Special mail delivery, Christmas 1993, by Colchester Cycle Mail

Since 1989, the mail has been delivered by bicycle by the Colchester Scouts and sometimes also by students from the High School. The profit made is then designated for pre-agreed so-called group funds.

Postal Service Central Limburg Roermond

This postal service used a special Christmas stamp in December 1996: Tricycle under the Christmas Tree.

Maasland Post

These stamps were issued in November 1994 for Christmas and New Year's mail. The stamps have a nominal value of 45 cents. During that period, Maasland delivered more than 500.000 Christmas and New Year's cards. The reason different colors were used is that, for quality management purposes, figures and facts were required regarding the production and sales of the desks, and that it was possible to properly handle complaints from senders and recipients.

Maasland Post has continued to handle regional mail from 1985 to the present day. However, virtually no stamps are used anymore.

The postman with the Christmas mail

A mail carrier or letter carrier is someone who performs the final tasks of the postal deliveries, namely a part of the sorting activities and the actual 'delivery' (delivering) of the mail to the addressee's letterbox. In Belgium, a postman is also referred to by the French word facteur.

Personal December (bicycle) stamp

As a “Bicycle Latelist,” it had to happen eventually. What had to happen? Oh, of course, yes, making a personal bicycle stamp for your own Christmas mail. That was great fun to do. Especially if you also collect bicycle miniatures and… on December 11th you went to the flea market in the Veemarkthallen in Utrecht and purchased a delightful bicycle miniature there, which was very suitable for the production of a personal Christmas bicycle stamp. Take a look…

GERTO regional post from Dodewaard …

. . . has just released a sheet of 10 Christmas stamps. One of those stamps depicts the delivery person who has to deliver a whole stack of packages on a bicycle. With this Christmas stamp, I would like to conclude this publication with the wish to everyone: Happy Holidays and a cycling-filled 2011, Jan the Bicycle Lister.