Christmas stamps: Royal Mail release stamps for festive season - BBC Newsround
Royal Mail has released picture of this year's Christmas stamps. They're inspired by Christmas carols including Silent Night and We Three Kings.
This year's Christmas stamps have been revealed by Royal Mail.

They feature lyrics from Christmas carols including Silent Night and Away in a Manger, and a barcode that you can scan to get a special Christmas message from Shaun the Sheep.

They've been made with an art technique called woodblock printing, which involves using carved wooden blocks to print ink or paint onto paper.

They are also the first Christmas stamps to feature King Charles's silhouette.

The stamps show lots of different scenes from the Christian story about the birth of Jesus.

This includes pictures of Mary, an angel singing, and baby Jesus in a stable. Each stamp has its own line from a famous Christmas carol.

Royal Mail stamps always have a silhouette of the monarch on them, and King Charles's face replaced the previous monarch, Queen Elizabeth, in April this year.

Why does the Royal Mail make Christmas stamps? The tradition of Christmas-themed stamps goes back to December 1966. The UK's Postmaster General created an art competition for kids to enter, with the hope of having their art featured on a stamp. The Postmaster General used to be a role in the government, given to an MP. They used to be in charge of the Royal Mail and telegraphs. Telegraphs were machines that people used to use to send messages over long distances using electric signals.

These Christmas stamps also feature a barcode that you can use on an app to view a special Christmas message from Shaun the Sheep.

It features Shaun sending some festive cheer to the farmer's dog.

Do you write Christmas cards, maybe to give to your family and friends? Let us know what you think in the comments!