The First Christmas Stamp

I've been buried in US Christmas postage the past few weeks, and in sorting, organizing and packing orders I've had time to think about how it all began. I did a little research and discovered this image of the first Christmas postage stamp ever. Some people will debate it, but the general consensus is that in 1898, Canada issued the first ever Christmas themed stamp while announcing the British Empire penny post (you could send a letter within the British Empire for the same rate). I love the bright red ink indicating which countries were in the British Empire, notable because it was Canada's first bi-color stamp. It's curious how non-committal they were about claiming the Christmas holiday (no symbols of Christmas, and not even spelling out the whole word), but the truth is, the pro-Christmas postage contingent was small and unsupported. and "XMAS 1898" actually indicates the day that Imperial Penny Postage rates began. While researching I came across this anecdote quite a few times, so it's worth sharing with you all:

There is an oft-repeated story that Canadian Postmaster General William Mulock developed the stamp and proposed that it be issued on November 9 to “honor the prince,” meaning the Prince of Wales. But when Queen Victoria asked “what Prince?” in a displeased manner, Mulock realized the danger, and answered “Why, madam, the Prince of Peace.”
Source

Christmas themed postage as we know it didn't get it's day until at least the 1930s and 1940s in various countries around the world. Then the US didn't get a Christmas stamp until 1962. Now, 160 countries issue Christmas stamps, with the exceptions being Islamic countries.