Christmas Eve

Christmas 2006 Scott 1344, 1343, 1342 Christmas Eve has arrived. All the hustle and bustle of our preparations for Christmas have reached their climax as we now quietly wait for the arrival of the Messiah. As we think about the Nativity, Vatican City has issued many Christmas stamps depicting it. From this vast collection, how does one choose their favorite Vatican Christmas stamps? Not easy! The Christmas stamps issued by Vatican City are certainly diverse, spanning many geographic and cultural sources and various artistic presentations of the Nativity scene. The slide show accompanying today’s Daily Email shows every Vatican Christmas stamp since the first set was issued in 1959. The stamps shown above, issued for Christmas in 2006, offer a reasonable representation of the Nativity as we all visualize it. We have the Baby Jesus, being watched over by Mary and Joseph. To the left we have the Three Wise Men, or Magi, bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. To the right, we have the humble shepherds. This simple depiction represents the honor and homage being paid to the Newborn King. As you settle in for what we all hope is a quiet and relaxing evening, may I suggest clicking on the link below to check out an old-time movie short from 1945. Star in the Night is a bit dated and corny by today’s standards, but in 20 minutes it captures the spirit of Christmas Eve in a very nice way. From the VPS Website Team, we wish all members of the Vatican Philatelic Society and your families our best wishes for a Very Merry Christmas! YouTube, Star in the Night