I love this new Christmas stamp! According to Seasons of Grace,  the Post Office has issued both a secular and a religious stamp for fifty years.The stamps were typically taken from a medieval artist’s depiction of the madonna and child . Seasons of Grace quotes Louis Guiliano, representing the postal service’s Board of Governors, as he explained the departure from their usual stamp style:

“[The flight into Egypt is] another part of the Christmas story.  Forty-eight out of 50 years were the same type of image, we wanted to express a different part of the Christmas story.”

The flight into Egypt is recorded in Matthew 2: 13 – 15:

After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”

We’re also proud of this stamp because one of the contributing artists for the stamp, Greg Breeding, is a former Cru staff member.  Greg co-founded and serves as creative director for Journey Group, He’s taught design courses in Ukraine, Malaysia, and the Czech Republic.  His first stamp for the U.S. Postal Service was The War of 1812: USS Constitution.  “I’m interested in creating art for the public good,” Breeding says, “and honoring a person or event on a stamp highlights and celebrates what’s positive in our culture.”

NOTES:

• The biographical information about Greg Breeding comes almost verbatim from the blog, Seasons of Grace.
• Learn about other stamps by Greg Breeding at The Battle of Lake Erie Postage Stamp.
• For many Floridians, this time of year includes a visit to the Christmas, Florida, post office to have their cards postmarked. (Floridians: If you want to stand in a long line at the Christmas post office to have your cards canceled this Saturday, you could also drop in on the “Cracker Christmas” pioneer and crafts demonstration December 1 and 2 at Fort Christmas.)
• Many people also like to ship their cards to the Bethlehem, Kentucky, post office to get their postmark. Learn where to send your cards on this post.

 Flight to Egypt Christmas Stamp