This year's Christmas stamps will feature three themes: iconic figures from the Nativity, familiar symbols of the Christmas season and creatures from Christmas Island.

Featuring familiar symbols of the Christmas season, this stamp issue offers a secular alternative to the religious stamps focusing on the biblical Nativity story. The fir tree, baubles, candy canes, wrapped gifts, stocking and Santa Claus hat, while owing elements of their origins to the Christian tradition, are now firmly associated with popular celebrations during the festive season. 

Designed by Dong Uong who joined the Australia Post Design Studio in 2008. Dong graduating with a Bachelor of Design - Graphic Design from Swinburne University in 1999. He currently has his own streetwear clothing brand, HAKAN.

Issue Highlights
A self-adhesive sheetlet of 10, printed using flexographic combination technology*. This issue also presents a delightful limited-edition prestige first day cover complete with a Christmas tree ornament and red-foiled postmark.

Postmark

Flexographic combination technology
The 2009 Merry Christmas sheetlet will be printed using flexographic combination technology. The sheetlet will feature four-colour process print on both the stamp and the background image. The process images will be enhanced with a flexographic spot gloss varnish that will highlight features on both the stamp and the background image. To complement this varnish, and add an element of "Christmas sparkle" to the sheetlet, we will be printing a silver cold foil on selected areas of the sheetlet and overprinting this with a yellow PMS spot colour to create a golden foil effect on the stamp images. The stamps will, of course, also include the required phosphor tagging. All of these processes will be produced in one press pass.