During the holiday season, we often cherish heartwarming messages of love and hope from friends and family. Nature, too, has its messengers of goodwill, particularly in the form of birds like northern cardinals, blue jays, and evening grosbeaks that brave the Canadian winter. Their vibrant plumage and visits to backyard feeders bring cheer to the season, and across various cultures and traditions, these birds carry special meanings and messages.

As a part of Canada's stamp program, Canada Post has been issuing annual holiday stamps since 1964, reflecting themes that resonate with Canadians, including the joyous holiday season. We offer a choice between stamps featuring secular holiday imagery or traditional sacred Christmas motifs to cater to the diverse preferences of our mailers and collectors.

This Souvenir Sheet Official First Day Cover showcases delightful illustrations by Sandra Dionisi, featuring three birds that spend their winters in Canada: a cardinal (Permanent™ domestic rate), a blue jay (U.S. rate), and an evening grosbeak (international rate).

Good to know

Great gift for collectors and holiday enthusiasts
Add a festive touch to your holiday mailings
About the holiday birds

The cardinal, adorned in festive red, symbolizes transformation and pivotal moments in life. It stands as a beacon of devotion, diversity, and unity. The intelligent and steadfast blue jay often forms lifelong bonds, symbolizing strength, loyalty, and enduring connections. It is also associated with acquiring higher knowledge. The social and family-oriented grosbeak evokes parental feelings and fosters healing, forgiveness, and harmony, especially within family dynamics.

About the design

The Souvenir sheet Official First Day Cover beautifully captures the essence of the holiday season. It features a picturesque winter scene with a brown branch adorned by vibrant red berries against the backdrop of a serene, wintery blue sky, complete with delicate snowflakes falling. On the cover's right side, you'll find the Holiday Birds Souvenir sheet, which showcases the issue's three stamps. Two cancel marks gracefully overlay the souvenir sheet, portraying a feather as its design. The cancel location is Cardinal, Ontario. The three stamps on the souvenir sheet, designed by Sandra Dionisi, depict each bird perched on a branch laden with berries.

The artwork comes to life with its vivid palette of reds, blues, browns, and whites, evoking a festive and wintry ambiance. It not only celebrates the beauty of the natural world during the holiday season but also adds a touch of seasonal charm to this collectible Souvenir sheet Official First Day Cover.

This marks the first stamp issue by Hambly & Woolley Inc.

Product # 404211144

Holiday Birds: Souvenir sheet Official First Day Cover