Christmas seals are adhesive labels that are similar in appearance to postage stamps that are sold then affixed to mail during the Christmas season to raise funds and awareness for charitable programs. Christmas seals have become particularly associated with lung diseases such as tuberculosis, and with child welfare in general. They were first issued in Denmark beginning in 1904, with Sweden and Iceland following with issues that same year. Thereafter the use of Christmas seals proved to be popular and spread quickly around the world, with 130 countries producing their own issues.
Christmas Seals were sometimes mistaken for Christmas stamps used for postage, prompting the US Post Office to adopt a policy requiring seals to be affixed on the reverse side of a postcard or envelope, but the policy was generally unfavorable and often ignored, ultimately resulting in its withdrawal. Christmas seals exist in several varieties, most notably those first issued by the Red Cross and later by the National Tuberculosis Association[b] with its red double barred cross on the face of the seal. Other charitable seals have been issued by state governments, religions and social organizations worldwide. Various governments have issued semi-postal postage stamps to raise funds for the Red Cross or other charitable causes.[c] From the onset Christmas seals received much public acclaim and were soon sought after by collectors and postal historians.Today, as a collectable item, their monetary worth varies considerably.
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