Royal Mail unveils 2026 Christmas stamps featuring Nativity scenes

Royal Mail has unveiled its 2026 Christmas stamp collection featuring scenes from the Nativity, BBC News reported. The set consists of five stamps jointly created by graphic designer Gareth Howat and illustrator Rebecca Sutherland. The designs depict Mary and Joseph travelling, baby Jesus, an angel, shepherds, and the Three Wise Men. [1]

This year's release marks 60 years since the launch of the first Royal Mail Christmas special stamp, BBC News, the Somerset County Gazette, and Your Local Guardian reported. Illustrator Rebecca Sutherland said being asked to design the stamps was an honour, adding that she has loved and collected stamps since childhood, BBC News reported. [1][4][5]

The scriptural basis for the Christmas celebration comes from the New Testament Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Luke describes Joseph and Mary travelling from Nazareth to Bethlehem during a Roman census, where Jesus was born. [10]

Royal Mail is a British postal and courier service owned by International Distribution Services. The origins of the service date back to 1516, when King Henry VIII appointed Sir Brian Tuke as the first Master of the Posts to build a national mail network. [7][9]