Haunting displays at hardware, drugstores and other retailers welcomed Halloween again this year – with or without the pandemic. After that, Thanksgiving rolls around. Many a turkey may be spared this year due to markedly smaller family get togethers. From a retail standpoint that may not matter. Most stores gloss right over the Pilgrims and go directly to Christmas.
The merchandizing of Christmas has already robustly begun. Near the plastic pumpkins and bags of candy are rows of artificial Christmas trees, wreaths, large candy canes and mechanical talking/rocking Santa’s (the latter I’ve had many a disturbing dream about I’d rather not discuss.)
In years past, the US Postal Service has commemorated all three holidays. Halloween has had several stamps including one recalling “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” For Thanksgiving, some have been issued featuring the landing of the Pilgrims or the Norman Rockwell painting “Freedom From Want” showing a family enjoying an abundant dinner....
More than any of those the USPS has produced stacks of stamps celebrating Christmas. The first was in 1962. It was a simple two-color, four-cent stamp with a wreath, two candles and the word, “Christmas.” In 1963, a five-cent stamp was printed with a large, illuminated tree.
A few years later, a second yearly stamp was added featuring an image of the Madonna and Child. Because of the subject’s religious overtones and the need for “separation of church and state,” the picture was of an historic painting by an artistic master. Ever since that first “religious” image in 1970, the works of famous painters have consistently been showcased with the Mother and Child.
It wasn’t long until political correctness entered the postal scene. In, 1980, the word “Christmas” was replaced with “Season’s Greetings” on the “seasonal” version. Eventually that was shortened to just “Greetings.” Sometimes, the salutation is taken completely off the stamp.
A quarter century after the first Christmas stamp debuted, someone at the USPS realized there were other stamp-worthy beliefs. In 1996, a 32-cent stamp recognizing the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah was issued. It featured the nine candles of the menorah.
In 1997, another stamp was released highlighting Kwanzaa. That holiday was created in 1966 by a professor at Southern California State University after the Watts riots in Los Angeles. He intended it as an initiative to bring the Black community together.
Most recently, in 2001, the USPS tried to cover all the bases by issuing a stamp honoring the Islamic holiday of Eid – the Muslim festival, which breaks the fast at the end of Ramadan.
For 2020, the Postal Service has again released a variety of holiday postage stamps, which collectors are sure to hone in on. A sheet of 10 shows various winter scenes. This is the 2020 neutral issue without mention of Christmas or “Greetings.” A new Kwanzaa stamp shows a stylized image of an African individual and seven candles. The stamp featuring the Mother and Child contains a classic painting known as, “Our Lady of Guápulo” done by an unknown Peruvian painter.
The USPS has done yeoman’s work issuing stamps to highlight US diversity – almost to the point of changing E Pluribus Unum (Out Of Many, One) to E Pluribus Pluribus. The stamp subjects will probably appease people from every walk. Well, maybe not every one.
In recent years, other very curious secular organizations have been trying to flex their muscle when it comes to displays on public or governmental property. Two notables include the Satanic Temple and Church of Satan. Both have pushed to be recognized and have public spectacles showcasing their beliefs.
One succeeded in having a sculpture erected in the Illinois Statehouse not far from a nativity scene. It celebrated the snake empowering Eve with knowledge. According to their leader, “We see Satan as a hero…spreading knowledge.” Another group demanded their display of “Snaketivity” go up near another Christian nativity scene in a park.
So, does a stamp recognizing any of this sound far fetched? I’d think so. Then again, belief is a capricious thing. After all, when we are children, most of us believe in Santa Claus. Even more curious…by moving just one letter in “Santa” the name becomes “Satan!” Yikes!
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