[press release]
Canada Post kicks off the holiday season with release of 2020 stamps
This season’s stamps feature the work of Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis
OTTAWA – An annual holiday tradition since 1964, Canada Post has released new stamp 
issues to help Canadians make their cards and letters more festive. Once again this year, Canadians can make their mail merrier with their choice of stamps bearing either sacred or secular holiday imagery.
This year’s Christmas issue is inspired by traditional paintings of the Nativity. Along with the central figures of Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus, the stamp also includes an ox and a donkey – two additions made popular by St. Francis of Assisi. The Permanent™ domestic rate stamp, designed by Soapbox Design and illustrated by Sandra Dionisi, is available in a booklet of 12. An Official First Day Cover is cancelled in Sainte-Famille, Quebec.
This year’s secular holiday stamps, designed by Hélène L’Heureux, feature three festive 
scenes by Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis. Lewis’ earliest works were Christmas cards painted under the guidance of her mother and sold door to door to her neighbours in rural Nova Scotia. This issue features seasonal works from the collection of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax: Winter Sleigh Ride (12-stamp booklet at the Permanent™ domestic rate), Team of Oxen in Winter (six-stamp booklet at the U.S. rate) and Family and Sled (six-stamp booklet at the international rate). A souvenir sheet, depicting Lewis’ whimsical cats, and a souvenir sheet Official First Day Cover, cancelled in Digby, Nova Scotia, round out the issue.
[en Francais]
À l’approche de Noël, Postes Canada lance ses timbres des Fêtes de 2020
Les timbres de cette année comprennent des œuvres de l’artiste folklorique néo écossaise Maud Lewis
OTTAWA – Fidèle à sa tradition annuelle des Fêtes depuis 1964, Postes Canada a émis de 
nouveaux jeux de timbres qui égayeront les cartes et les lettres des Canadiens. Cette année encore, ces derniers pourront mettre un peu de joie sur leur courrier des Fêtes avec des timbres consacrés à un thème religieux ou profane.
Le timbre de Noël de cette année est inspiré des scènes traditionnelles de la Nativité. En plus des personnages centraux Marie, Joseph et l’Enfant Jésus, le timbre illustre aussi un bœuf et un âne, deux ajouts popularisés par saint François d’Assise. Le timbre PermanentMC au tarif du régime intérieur a été conçu par Soapbox Design et illustré par Sandra Dionisi et est offert en carnet de 12. L’oblitération du pli Premier Jour officiel porte la mention « Sainte-Famille, Québec ».
Les timbres des Fêtes de cette année consacrés à un thème profane, conçus par Hélène 
L’Heureux, sont ornés de trois scènes joyeuses de l’artiste folklorique canadienne Maud Lewis. Les premières œuvres de l’artiste sont des cartes de Noël qu’elle peint en suivant les conseils de sa mère et qu’elle vend à des voisins en faisant du porte-à-porte en Nouvelle-Écosse. Cette émission est composée de trois œuvres qui font partie de la collection du Musée des beaux-arts de la Nouvelle-Écosse à Halifax : Winter Sleigh Ride (carnet de 12 timbres PermanentsMC au tarif du régime intérieur), Team of Oxen in Winter (carnet de 6 timbres au tarif des envois à destination des États-Unis) et Family and Sled (carnet de 6 timbres au tarif du régime international). Le bloc-feuillet, présentant une illustration fantaisiste de chats créée par Maud Lewis, et le pli Premier Jour officiel du bloc-feuillet, oblitéré à Digby, en Nouvelle-Écosse, complètent l’émission. 
Maud Lewis Details:
Nativity Details:
From the USPS: This Happy Birthday stamp conveys exuberant greetings by calling to mind the childhood excitement of a birthday party. Each of the five letters in the word “HAPPY” is inspired by a different party decoration in the midst of a flurry of multicolored ribbons and confetti. This stamp was designed by Lisa Catalone Castro and Rodolfo Castro, featuring a digital illustration by the latter. Ethel Kessler served as art director.
From the USPS: America’s love of coffee is celebrated with four new stamps in a booklet of 20. Four digital illustrations feature cups of four different drinks: caffe latte, espresso, caffe mocha and cappuccino. The names of the espresso drinks appear in art-deco-inspired lettering above or below each cup. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps with original artwork by Terry Allen.
From the USPS: This stamp celebrates the bicentennial of Missouri statehood. Missouri became the 24th state in the Union on Aug. 10, 1821. The stamp art is an existing photograph of Bollinger Mill State Historic Site by noted landscape photographer Charles Gurche. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp.
From the USPS: The long-running series celebrating American lighthouses continues with five new stamps. The mid-Atlantic lighthouses featured in this issuance are: Thomas Point Shoal, MD; Montauk Point, NY; Harbor of Refuge, DE; Navesink, NJ; and Erie Harbor Pierhead, PA. The late Howard Koslow 
From the USPS: The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the enduring legacy of Western wear with four fun new Forever stamps in a booklet of 20. The stamp art features four graphic illustrations of Western wear staples — a cowboy hat, a cowboy boot with a spur, a Western shirt, and a belt buckle featuring a longhorn head. Each image is framed by elements common to the American West and iconography of the region, including cacti, snakes, roses and stars. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps with original art by Ryan Feerer.
From the USPS: With this commemorative stamp, the Postal Service recognizes the contributions of Japanese American soldiers, some 33,000 altogether, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II. The stamp, printed in the intaglio method, is based on a photograph. “Go for Broke” was the motto of the all-Japanese American 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team and came to represent all Japanese American units formed during World War II. The stamp was designed by art director Antonio Alcalá.
From the USPS: Merging traditional artwork with modern design touches, this stamp depicts one of many stories about Raven, a figure of great significance to the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast. Among the cultures of the region, Raven plays an essential role in many traditional tales, including stories about the creation of the world. Inspired by the traditional story of Raven setting free the sun, the moon and the stars, Tlingit/Athabascan artist Rico Worl depicts Raven just as he escapes from his human family and begins to transform back into his bird form. Antonio Alcalá served as art director.
From the USPS: These stamps pay tribute to heritage breeds, preindustrial farm animals that are enjoying renewed attention for their versatility, adaptability and unique genetic traits. This pane of 20 stamps includes photographs of 10 heritage breeds: the American Mammoth Jackstock donkey, the Narragansett turkey, the Cayuga duck, the San Clemente Island goat, the Mulefoot hog, the Cotton Patch goose, the American Cream draft horse, the Barbados Blackbelly sheep, the Milking Devon cow and the Wyandotte chicken. Zack Bryant designed the stamps with photographs by Aliza Eliazarov. Greg Breeding served as art director.
Just a guess: The Accocreek Post Office may not have the staff or experience to handle a first-day.
