Front:
20c
TAMAICA
OCT
30
1984
11431
Season's Greetings
Romsay
ARIS
Back:
SANTA CLAUS
First Day of Issue: October 30, 1984
First Issue Location: Jamaica, New York 11431
Santa Claus — dressed from head to toe in his familiar
garments of red and white — has become a cherished
symbol of Christmas the world over. But, Santa as he is
known and loved today is quite different from the somber
Santa Claus children knew in the early nineteenth cen-
tury. Known then as St. Nicholas, he was a stern patriarch
dressed in bishop's robes. It was writers and artists who
helped Santa make the transformation into the jovial,
robust character that is recognized today. And perhaps
the greatest contributions of all came from the writer
Clement C. Moore and cartoonist Thomas Nast. Moore
contributed his part to the transformation through the
poem he wrote for his children which is known today
as “'Twas the Night Before Christmas." In 1862, Thomas
Nast gave Santa his fur-trimmed outfit and put all the
finishing touches on the merry character Americans
today know as St. Nick. In honor of Santa Claus and all
the joy he has brought to children, the Postal Service
issued the stamp featured on this Maximum Card.
No. 84-47
©1984 The Maximum Card Collection
A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007
Original painting by Bill Ramsey.
