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What Stamps to Use on Christmas Cards
Any Forever stamp works on a Christmas card. See which holiday design fits each card type, what to use for square or overseas cards, and where to buy 100 for $25.
Use any genuine Forever stamp — USPS does not require a holiday design on a Christmas card. A Christmas-themed Forever stamp is the usual pick simply because it looks right on the envelope, and it costs exactly the same $0.82 as a plain flag stamp. Match the stamp to the card instead: one Forever stamp for a standard card, a Forever plus an additional-ounce stamp for a card over 1 ounce, and a Global Forever stamp ($1.75) for cards going abroad.
The short answer: any Forever stamp works
USPS prices mail by weight and shape, not by what is printed on the envelope. A nativity stamp, a flag stamp, and a commemorative stamp from the 1990s all carry the same 1-ounce letter value.
The only thing a Christmas stamp changes is how the envelope looks. It does not cost more, it does not travel faster, and it is not required. If you have a drawer full of ordinary Forever stamps, they will mail your Christmas cards perfectly well — the holiday designs exist because people like them, not because the mail needs them.
What to put on each kind of Christmas card
| Your card | What to use | Total postage |
| Standard folded card, under 1 oz | 1 Christmas Forever stamp | $0.82 |
| 5″ x 7″ photo card, 1–2 oz | Forever + 1 additional-ounce stamp | $1.11 |
| Card with photos or a newsletter inside | Forever + 1 additional-ounce stamp | $1.11 |
| Square card, under 1 oz | Forever + nonmachinable surcharge | $1.31 |
| Card mailed to another country | 1 Global Forever stamp | $1.75 |
| Oversized card, over 6-1/8″ x 11-1/2″ | Flat pricing, not letter | $1.69+ |
Every extra ounce on a letter costs $0.29 in 2026. For the weight math behind these numbers, including what a full card list costs, see Christmas card postage.
Christmas stamp designs: what you can actually choose from
USPS issues holiday stamps in a few recognisable families, and each one suits a different list:
- Religious designs — nativity, Madonna and Child, the Magi. The natural choice for church mailings, grandparents, and anyone who marks the religious side of the holiday.
- Secular and whimsical designs — Santa and sleigh, carolers, elves, gingerbread houses, wreaths. The safe default for neighbours, colleagues, and mixed lists.
- Winter designs — snowmen, winter berries, snow scenes. The safest option for business cards, because they read as seasonal without being religious.
- Other holidays — Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Eid, and Diwali stamps, for lists that celebrate differently.
Popular picks from our holiday and Christmas stamps include 2017 Christmas Carols, 2016 Nativity, 2012 Santa and Sleigh and Holiday Elves. Sending Hanukkah or Kwanzaa cards instead? We stock Hanukkah and Kwanzaa stamps as well.
Religious or secular: who gets which
- Church, family, religious friends — nativity and other religious designs.
- Clients, colleagues, neighbours, anyone whose views you do not know — secular or winter designs.
- One mixed list — winter designs. They are festive without assuming anything about the recipient.
Sheets or booklets?
Both are the same postage, and the choice is about convenience. Booklets of 20 are easier to keep in a drawer and to hand around the kitchen table; full sheets show the complete pane design and are nicer if you care about the artwork. If you are mailing more than a hundred cards, we compared the formats in stamp sheets vs booklets vs coils.
Where to buy them
- At the Post Office — 82¢ each, and the better designs are often gone by mid-December.
- From us — holiday stamps are $25 per 100, or 25¢ each, which is genuine USPS postage below face value.
- For a business or client list — wholesale stamp rolls bring it to $200 per 1,000 or $300 per 2,000 if you are mailing several hundred cards.
We broke down what that saves over a full mailing season in how much you can save on Forever stamps.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use Christmas stamps on Christmas cards?
No. USPS only cares about weight and shape. A regular Forever stamp mails a Christmas card exactly as well as a holiday one.
Can I use regular Forever stamps on Christmas cards?
Yes. Any genuine USPS Forever stamp carries the current 1-ounce letter rate, whatever the picture on it.
What stamps do I need for square Christmas cards?
A Forever stamp plus the $0.49 nonmachinable surcharge, because square envelopes cannot run through sorting machines. That puts a 1-ounce square card at $1.31.
Can I use Christmas stamps after Christmas?
Yes. Forever stamps never expire and always hold the current 1-ounce value, so leftover Christmas stamps work all year round.
How many Christmas stamps do I need for 100 cards?
100, as long as every card stays under 1 ounce. The full card-list cost table is in Christmas card postage.
What do I use for cards going overseas?
A Global Forever stamp. One covers a 1-ounce international letter at $1.75 — the rates are covered in Global Forever stamps explained.
Stock up before the deadline
USPS publishes its holiday mailing dates each year, so check the official USPS holiday shipping dates before your last batch goes out.
Whatever you send, the stamps are the easy part. Our holiday and Christmas stamps are 100 for $25, or browse the full shop of discount USPS Forever stamps in every denomination.