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Denmark

The Poignant story behind the Christmas campaign close to Crown Princess Mary’s heart

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark will be completing one of her first holiday traditions of the 2021 festive season this week. She will be launching the 2021 Christmas stamp, a philanthropic tradition that dates back over 110 years. 

Each year, the Christmas Stamp Foundation commissions and sells a specially designed Christmas stamp to raise money for children in need. The funds raised go to helping 1000 children, aged seven to fourteen, who have faced bullying and suffer from different mental health issues. 

Crown Princess Mary has taken part in the unveiling ceremony for nearly a decade now. Although 2020 saw a smaller ceremony due to the global health crisis, she is joined by children each year for the presentation. 

The tradition dates back to 1903. A post office clerk, Einar Holbøll, had the idea to create and sell a specific holiday-themed stamp to raise money for children in need. When the original stamp launched in 1904, the proceeds raised went to providing support to children suffering from tuberculosis. It now raises money for children living in Christmas Stamp Homes across the country.

In the stamp’s 117 year history, there have been countless different designs. Popular choices include angels, holiday imagery like snowmen, presents, and children playing in the snow, and images of various royals celebrating milestones – children being born and anniversaries on the throne. 

Each year, a different artist is commissioned to design the stamp. In 2015, Queen Margrethe designed the stamp herself and joined Mary for the unveiling. Margrethe also designed the stamp in 1970 and again in 2003 and has even been portrayed on the stamps multiple times. 

The Christmas stamps can be purchased from the Julemaerket website directly. The 2021 design will be available shortly, but the previous five years of stamps can also be purchased online. 

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Historian and blogger at AnHistorianAboutTown.com