# 2108 - 1984 20c Contemporary Christmas: Drawing of Santa Claus

U.S. #2108
1984 20¢ Drawing of Santa Claus
Contemporary Christmas 

• America’s 21^st Contemporary Christmas issue
• Third US stamp with artwork by a student

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Series:  Contemporary Christmas
Value:  20¢, rate for first-class mail
First Day of Issue:  October 30, 1984
First Day City:  Jamaica, New York
Quantity Issued:  786,225,000
Printed by:  Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method:  Photogravure
Format:  Panes of 50 in Sheets of 200
Perforations:  11

Why the stamp was issued:  For use on holiday mail.

About the stamp design:  In 1982, the USPS announced a contest inviting children to design stamps with subjects of their own choosing. The contest was held in conjunction with National Card and Letter Writing Week. More than 500,000 students participated, and the winning design came from Molly LaRue of Ohio, and that stamp became US #2104, the Family Unity stamp.

Another entrant in that contest, then-seven-year-old Danny LaBocceta, submitted a crayon drawing of Santa Claus.  His design was selected for the 1984 Contemporary Christmas stamp.  LaBoccetta said he drew the stamp in about 20 minutes but then forgot about it.  He was nine when the stamp was finally issued in 1984 and said it was an honor.

Bradbury Thompson served as art director and typographer for this stamp, his 11 Christmas issue.  He had also worked on some 75 stamps for the USPS up to that time.

About the printing process:  This and the other 1984 Christmas stamp were the first stamps that the Bureau of Engraving and printing “double sheeted out” in production.  The stamps were fed through the Andreotti gravure press in double sheets of 400 before being cut down to sheets of 200 and then panes of 50.

First Day City:  This stamp’s First Day ceremony was held at LaBocceta’s school, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in Jamaica, New York. 

About the Christmas Series:  By the early 1960s, the US Post Office was receiving 1,000 letters a year (for several years) asking for a Christmas-themed stamp to frank their holiday mail.  The idea was approved and the US issued its first Christmas stamp on November 1, 1962.

The stamp was wildly popular, featuring popular holiday decorations of a wreath and candles.  The Post Office Department had expected there would be a great demand for the issue, so they printed 350 million stamps – the largest print run for a special stamp up to that time.  Those 350 million stamps sold out quickly, leading the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to produce more stamps – reaching over 860 million by the end of the year.

While the Christmas stamp was very popular, it wasn’t without its detractors.  Some didn’t agree with the idea of the post office issuing a stamp honoring a religious holiday.  Others wanted Christmas stamps that were more religious.  The Post Office would continue to issue Christmas stamps in the coming years that featured the National Christmas Tree, seasonal plants, and an angel in 1965. The angel was considered less controversial because angels are included in many religions, not just Christianity.

In 1966, the Post Office came up with a plan to produce Christmas stamps utilizing classic paintings of the Madonna and Child.  These stamps wouldn’t violate the separation of church and state because they were a celebration of culture.  On November 1, 1966, they issued the first US Madonna and Child stamp in Christmas, Michigan.  The stamp featured the 15^th century painting, Madonna and Child with Angels, by Flemish painter Hans Memling.

That stamp was very popular and over 1.1 billion were printed.  The same design was used again the following year, however, the 1967 stamp was larger and showed more of the painting.  The stamp’s continued popularity led the Post Office to issue another traditional Christmas stamp in 1968, this time picturing the Angel Gabriel.   For the 1969 issue, they reverted back to the non-religious theme, with a stamp picturing a painting called Winter Sunday in Norway, Maine.

The Post Office made a big change in 1970.  To keep people in both camps happy, they issued one traditional Christmas stamp, picturing a classic painting of the Nativity, plus a block of four picturing Christmas toys.  That decision proved popular and they have continued to issue stamps with both traditional and contemporary Christmas themes ever since.

History the stamp represents:  Saint Nicholas is believed to have been born on March 15, 270, in Patara, Roman Empire, near Myra, present-day Turkey, to wealthy parents.  Many of the details of Nicholas’s life are based on older written stories and oral traditions.  No writings from his lifetime survive, and most of the stories about his deeds were written centuries later.

According to tradition, Nicholas’s parents died in an epidemic when he was young and he moved in with his uncle – a bishop.  Young Nicholas was deeply religious and took to heart the readings and teachings of Jesus.  He began using his inheritance to anonymously assist the sick and needy.  Although he left gifts down chimneys at night, a few found out he was behind the generosity.  Nicholas begged for them to keep it a secret because he didn’t want the attention on himself.  He became known as the protector of children and sailors before his death on December 6, 343.

Over the years, stories from Nicholas’s life spread and his feast day, December 6, was considered a lucky day to make large purchases or get married.  In the Middle Ages, French nuns began leaving pouches of coins, food, and treats in the homes of the needy at night.  When asked where these gifts came from, the nuns would simply say “it must have been Saint Nicholas.”  This inspired the anonymous gift giving as well as all the carols.

By the Renaissance, Nicholas was the most popular saint in Europe, particularly in Holland.  There he was known as Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nokolaas, which was Dutch for Saint Nicholas.  Soon it became a tradition for children to set their shoes by the hearth on the evening before his celebration.  During the night, they believed he would fill them with small treats of nuts and fruit.  When the Dutch settled in the New World, they brought their customs with them, including visits from Sinter Klaas.  New York newspapers began reporting on these Dutch celebrations in 1773, making Saint Nicholas Day more widely known.  Washington Irving further popularized Nicholas in 1809 when he referred to him as the patron Saint of New York in one of his books.

An 1822 poem written by Dr. Clement Clark Moore changed the image of Saint Nicholas in the US.  The common title comes from the first line: “’Twas the night before Christmas.”  Through this poem, written for his children, Moore introduced us to flying reindeer and a red-clad driver able to slide down chimneys effortlessly.  Santa Claus, as he became popularly known, filled stockings, rather than shoes, with gifts.  Artist Thomas Nast is often credited with creating the modern image of Santa Claus with his 1863 Harper’s Weekly illustration.

Stores began to include Santa in Christmas advertisements in the 1800s, with some offering children a chance to see Santa Claus in person.  When the Salvation Army needed money to provide Christmas meals to needy families, they hired unemployed men to dress as Santa to collect donations.

Some other countries celebrate Saint Nicholas Day on December 5 or December 19.  Many countries have different figures that bring children gifts.  Germany has Kris Kringle, an angel that accompanies Saint Nicholas.  Scandinavia celebrates the elf Jultomten, who brings gifts in a sleigh led by goats.

The English have Father Christmas and in France, Pere Noel leaves gifts in children’s shoes.  In Russia, an elderly woman named Babushka leaves children gifts in the hopes that one is baby Jesus.  According to Russian stories, she intentionally gave the three wise men incorrect directions to Bethlehem and gives these gifts to make up for her bad deed.  In Italy a nice witch named La Befana rides a broomstick to deliver toys to children.