My fiancé did it again!
This is the very first Christmas stamp ever issued!
Canada
1898!
For almost
sixty years no one in the world thought to issue a Christmas stamp until
December 7, 1898, when Canada issued what is known by philatelists (stamp
collectors) as the"Map Stamp". Designed by William Mulock, the
Postmaster General of Canada, the stamp shows the earth as if it were flat. The
countries that were dependencies of Great Britain were printed in red.
20,000,000 stamps were issued; half with blue oceans and the other half with a
green ocean look. Why, is not known. Along the bottom of the stamp was the
slogan,"WE HOLD A VASTER EMPIRE THAN HAS BEEN". At that time Britain
held the largest empire on earth.
The only
clue that this is a Christmas stamp is the word XMAS1898 near the bottom centre
of the stamp. No Santa, reindeer, or wreathes.