door Each year, PostNL releases new December stamps, allowing consumers and businesses to send Christmas and New Year cards at a discounted rate. The special December rate of €1.06 per stamp is valid from 18 November 2024 to 4 January 2025. This year, a sheet of 20 December stamps costs €21.20.
Customers purchasing two sheets of December stamps in-store will receive a Christmas ornament, specially designed for PostNL by Vondels, as a gift. This year’s ornament is shaped like the presents depicted on the stamp featuring the sleigh. The illustrations on the 2024 December stamps were created by illustrator Marieke Ruts from Hellevoetsluis.
THEME
Fresh, sleek, bright, warm, and with a touch of humour – the illustrations by Marieke Ruts, also known as Mevrouw Emmer, are instantly recognisable. For the December stamps, she created 10 festive scenes, each featuring a robin, the bird that always inspires hope.
The festive season is a time for reflection, looking back on big and small events, amidst the hustle and bustle of December – bringing the tree into the house, planning Christmas dinners, and preparing gifts for loved ones. These joyful stories brim with warmth, with hearts subtly appearing in various places. For us, December is ultimately a time of comfort and affection.
DESIGN
The 2024 December stamps feature the following festive illustrations:
- A snowman and robins on the ground near a washing line holding a Christmas jumper
- A Christmas wreath with a singing robin perched on it
- A person hiding behind Christmas presents among fir trees, with a robin on the ground
- Santa’s “ho-ho-ho” between stars, with a robin in the letter “o”
- A flying sleigh full of presents, with a robin at the reins
- Three animals delivering letters (a dachshund, an Indian runner duck, and a robin)
- A canal house with fir trees in pots and a robin on the steps
- A large festive cake with a robin among sparklers
- A wheelbarrow with a Christmas tree in a forest, with a robin on the ground
- A moose wearing a scarf, looking affectionately at a robin
TYPOGRAPHY
The text uses Biko Regular (2013) by type designer Marco Ugolini (Bristol, UK) and FF DIN (1995) by Albert-Jan Pool (Hamburg, Germany).
DESIGNER
Like most illustrators, Marieke Ruts follows the work of her peers with interest, including those who have designed PostNL’s December stamps in recent years. “It seemed fantastic to me to do the same,” says Marieke. “I felt incredibly honoured when I was asked at the start of the year to create the 2024 December stamps.”
SALE/VALIDITY
The December Stamps 2024 are available from 18 November 2024 at all PostNL sales points in the Netherlands and through the webshop. They can also be ordered by calling Collect Club customer service on 088-868 99 00.
The stamps remain valid indefinitely but can only be used without additional postage during the period 18 November 2024 to 4 January 2025. A sheet of 20 December stamps costs €21.20.
VALUE
The special-rate December stamps are intended for domestic mail weighing up to 50 grams, with envelopes measuring at least 14 x 9 cm. For international mail weighing up to 50 grams, two December stamps are sufficient.
SUMMARY
Issue: December Stamps 2024
Issue Date: 18 November 2024
Format: Sheet with 20 December stamps in 10 unique designs, featuring a special December rate for domestic destinations within the Netherlands
Item Number: 441261
Design and Illustrations: Marieke Ruts, Hellevoetsluis
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Stamp Size: 26.5 x 29 mm
Sheet Size: 144 x 151 mm
Paper: Standard with phosphor coating (red)
Gum: Self-adhesive
Printing Technique: Offset
Colours: Cyan, magenta, yellow, and black
Print Run: 3,000,000
Format: Sheet of 20 stamps with 10 different designs
Design and Illustrations: Marieke Ruts, Hellevoetsluis
Printer: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item Number: 441261
COPYRIGHT
© 2024 Koninklijke PostNL BV
(Please note this is an unofficial computer translation created from the original Dutch press release.)
