Americans send more than 2 billion greeting cards during the holidays, and many of them are adorned with special Christmas postage stamps issued by the US Postal Service just for the occasion. But holiday stamps haven’t always been around. The first Christmas stamp in the United States was released in 1962, the first Hanukkah stamp was released in 1996, and the first Kwanzaa stamp was released in 1997.

So how did this tradition get started? Canada is widely credited with issuing the first Christmas stamp. In December 1898, Canada issued a 2-cent stamp celebrating the introduction of imperial penny postage and inscribed with the words “XMAS 1898.” But it wasn’t really released to celebrate the holidays. Rather, the Xmas inscription came about quite accidentally. Postmaster William Mulock commented to Queen Victoria that the stamp should be released in November “to honor the Prince” (i.e., the Prince of Wales, who was born in November). But when he could see she was not at all pleased with the idea and asked which prince he was referring to, Mulock replied, “Why, the Prince of Peace, ma’am”. Hence, when the stamp was issued in December, it bore not only the image of a world map, but also the words “XMAS 1898″ at the bottom.

A few other countries issued some type of Christmas stamp in the 1930s and ’40s (some without holiday images and some to raise money for a specific cause), but it wasn’t until 1943 that Hungary issued the first Christmas-themed stamp that was sold specifically as a holiday stamp to be used on seasonal mailings.

The United States didn’t issue its first Christmas stamp until 1962. It was a 4-cent stamp that featured a wreath, two candles, and the words “Christmas 1962″. Earlier stamps that had conveyed a holiday spirit had proved popular during the holidays in previous years, such as the 1958 Forest Conservation stamp showing a deer in a clearing in the woods and the 1960 stamp showing a stylized green tree resembling a fir, commemorating the 5th World Forest Congress. So the post office was anticipating a large interest in the first Christmas stamp. They ordered 350 million copies, the largest number ever produced up until that time for a special stamp. But it wasn’t enough. When the initial supply ran out, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing had to work around the clock to meet the demand. By the end of the 1962 holiday season, one billion of the first Christmas stamps were sold.

The US Postal Service has issued new Christmas stamps every year since then, and now it’s also possible to create your own personalized USPS stamps for the holidays with online services that make it easy to use your own photos and images.

These days, images of Santa Claus usually show a jolly rotund fellow wearing a red suit, a fur-trimmed hat and black boots. This image became popular in the 19th century, due largely to political cartoonist Thomas Nast and “The Night Before Christmas” author Clement C. Moore. But behind this red-suited caricature we know so well today is a real man who lived in the third century.

Saint Nicholas was born around 280 AD in what is now Turkey. His parents were wealthy, devout Christians who died when he was little. Following Jesus’ advice to give to the poor, Nicholas gave away his entire inheritance to the poor and needy. He became the Bishop of Myra while still a young man, and continued to help those in need, particularly children. He was soon known as a protector of children and sailors.

He died December 6, 343 AD, and the anniversary of his death became Saint Nicholas Day, a day for feasting and celebrating.

The legend of Saint Nicholas was brought to the New World by Dutch setttlers. The name Santa Claus would evolve from the Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas. The saint became a part of local lore when John Pintard founded the New York Historical Society in 1804 and made St. Nicholas the patron saint of the society and New York City.

He received another boost a few years later when Washington Irving joined the society and published a work called Knickerbocker’s History of New York on Saint Nicholas Day. The work contained numerous references to a jolly St. Nicholas character.

But it was Clement Clark Moore’s poem, originally titled “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” but now better known as “The Night Before Christmas,” that cemented Saint Nicholas’ image as “a jolly old elf” with a “little round belly, that shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.” Moore reportedly wrote the poem for his family in 1822. It appeared in print a year later, in the Troy, New York Sentinel newspaper.

Political cartoonist Thomas Nast helped popularize the image Moore created. In 1863 he began drawing a series of annual cartoons for Harper’s Weekly that were based on the character in the poem and in Washington Irving’s work. Nash’s Santa has a beard, fur clothing, and a pipe, and was the basis for many Santas to follow. He was also the one to invent the North Pole, elves and Mrs. Claus.

By the 1890s, the image of Santa in a red suit and hat was so common that the Salvation Army began dressing men in Santa Claus suits and sending them into the streets of New York to solicit donations for the Christmas meals they provided for the needy. Later, other artists such as Norman Rockwell continued to popularize the image of Santa Claus as a bearded fat fellow in a red suit.

In 1931, Coca-Cola began using Santa in their advertisements and the rest, as they say, is history. Santa is now a common centerpiece of Christmas advertising. Although he still retains some small semblance to the Saint Nicholas of history who gave gifts to the needy, his transformation from an actual religious figure to a mythical secular figure has been otherwise complete.

Many people believe candy canes were invented to symbolize Jesus’ suffering. History doesn’t actually support this notion (a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany is credited with bending straight white sticks into hook shapes to represent a shepherd’s staff and keep children quiet during the long Christmas services), but much has been written about the Christian symbolism of this favorite holiday candy. Here are some poems that celebrate the Christian candy cane legend.

Jesus, Gentle Shepherd,
this cane of red and white
proclaims the sweet love story
born on Christmas night

This cane, you see, when turned around
begins your name of love
and now becomes a symbol
of peace proclaimed above
The lively peppermint flavor
is the regal gift of spice
The white is your purity
and the red your sacrifice

And so this cane reminds us
of just how much you care
and like your Christmas gift to us
it’s meant for all to share

—-

A significant symbol of Christmas
Is the simple candy cane.
It’s shape is the crook of the shepherd,
One of the first who came.
The lively peppermint flavor is
The regal gift of spice.
The white is Jesus’ purity.
The red is sacrifice.
The narrow stripes are friendship
And the nearness of his love.
Eternal, sweet compassion,
A gift from God above.
The candy cane reminds us all
how much God loved and cared.
And like His Christmas gift to us
It’s meant to be broken and shared.