door Each year, PostNL issues new December stamps allowing consumers and businesses to send Christmas and New Year cards at a reduced rate. The special December rate of € 1.21 per stamp is valid from 10 November 2025 to 3 January 2026. A sheet of 20 December stamps costs € 24.20. When purchasing two sheets of December stamps in-store, each customer receives a unique fairy tale book as a gift, featuring the ten fairy tales illustrated on the stamp sheet. The illustrations were created by designer Sander de Bruijn from Efteling, who also designed the accompanying book.
SUBJECT
Efteling began in 1952 as a modest fairy tale park in Kaatsheuvel, North Brabant. The official opening took place on 31 May that year, featuring ten fairy tales designed by Anton Pieck. In its first year, the park welcomed 222,000 visitors. In the years that followed, Efteling saw success with new attractions such as the steam carousel (1956) and Holle Bolle Gijs (1959). In 1972, Efteling was awarded the Pomme d’Or, a prestigious European tourism prize. From the 1980s onwards, the focus shifted to more modern and thrilling attractions, including Python (1981), Fata Morgana (1986), and Droomvlucht (1993). The offering was further expanded with theatre and winter events, as well as new developments such as the Efteling Hotel (1992) and Aquanura (2012).
Today, Efteling is an international theme park with more than 62 attractions, including eight rollercoasters and four dark rides. The Fairy Tale Forest remains the green heart of the park, now featuring 31 fairy tales. Each year, the park attracts over five million visitors. In 2024, the iconic Haunted Castle was replaced by the dynamic dark ride Danse Macabre. In 2025, the Efteling Grand Hotel and the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea opened their doors, while the existing Efteling Hotel was transformed into the Efteling Wonder Hotel.
DESIGN
Each of the 10 December stamps 2025 features a scene from a well-known fairy tale, illustrated in muted tones based on the typical red, yellow, and green-blue colours used by Anton Pieck for Efteling. The stamps depict fairy tales shown in Efteling, plus a newly created tale, Journey of the Well-Wish. The other nine fairy tales are Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, Frog King, Tom Thumb, The Princess and the Pea, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats, and The Six Servants. The stamps have unique free-form shapes inspired by heraldry, such as oval shields, rounded-top shields, and flatiron-shaped shields. Each illustration is designed as a medieval miniature with a gold-coloured frame. The festive December atmosphere is enhanced with snowflakes, holly branches, Christmas trees, and envelopes containing December cards. The reverse side of the stamp sheet includes mailing recommendations for December post, illustrated with a medieval miniature and an enlarged initial letter. At the bottom is a detail from the Journey of the Well-Wish stamp, showing a mouse and a squirrel reading the fairy tale book gifted with the purchase of two stamp sheets.
TYPOGRAPHY
The typography uses a unique typeface designed by Ton van de Ven for Efteling, based on Anton Pieck’s handwritten serif letters. A secondary typeface used is the sans-serif Futura from 1927 by Paul Renner.
DESIGNER
The December stamps 2025 were designed by Sander de Bruijn, Manager of Design & Experience at Efteling.
De Bruijn first visited Efteling at the age of four, an experience that deeply influenced his life and career. “As a child, you accept that magical world as a given,” he says. “But my father explained that the park was created based on designs by the legendary illustrator Anton Pieck. That’s when my love for drawing and illustration began.” At 17, De Bruijn had holiday jobs at Efteling, and after studying at the Graphic Lyceum and HKU in Utrecht, he joined the design department. “Now, together with other designers, I’m one of Anton Pieck’s successors. Those are big shoes to fill.”
Booklets
De Bruijn describes the design commission for this year’s December stamps as a dream come true. “When you see who has designed stamps over the years! I’m incredibly proud to continue that tradition. This is one of the most beautiful design assignments on such a small scale. It’s a ruthless medium – just a few square centimetres. Designing stamps is an honest process; as a designer, you can’t hide behind a stamp. I’ve always been fascinated by the appearance of stamps. When I was nine, I received two booklets as a gift about Dutch stamps issued in 1989. One booklet contained the stamps, the other showed how they were created. I thought it was wonderful – I was already drawn to the graphic world back then. Despite all my house moves, I still have those booklets.”
Earlier designs
De Bruijn began his design process for the December stamps from what he calls “zero point.” “I looked through the NVPH catalogue at various earlier stamp designs, especially the December stamps. One that stood out was the 1991 design by Joost Swarte – I’m a huge fan of his work. I also drew inspiration from the only stamp Anton Pieck ever designed, in 1978, which featured a view of Haarlem. That stamp includes his signature hand-drawn lettering, which I’ve also used for the new December stamps. There have been stamps about Efteling before – in 2002, to mark the park’s 50th anniversary, based on a design by my Efteling colleague Robert-Jaap Jansen.”
Romance and connection
From the outset, De Bruijn knew he wanted to take a graphic-illustrative approach. “Partly because of the connection with Anton Pieck, who was an outstanding graphic artist. But also because I personally love that style. For me, post and Efteling share many similarities. Sending post represents romance and connection – especially in December. It’s a time when you reflect on the past year and think about the people you feel connected to. That fits with the effort of writing a card – it shows you care about someone. Efteling also revolves around connection, but through the power of storytelling. We describe our park as a World of Wonders, which already suggests we’re a destination unlike any other. You cross a threshold and enter a different kind of world.
I used to feel the same way when collecting stamps from exotic countries. The 1989 booklets also included that year’s December stamp – a design by Hans Kruit, with an unorthodox triangular shape. So I knew I wasn’t necessarily bound to the square format. The December stamps have been given free-form shapes, some inspired by wayfinding and name signs originally designed by Anton Pieck himself. Because these stamps are larger than usual, the sheet format has also been enlarged – giving them plenty of space.”
Stamp as an adventure
In his proposal to PostNL, De Bruijn introduced the concept of the stamp as a romantic journey, like in a fairy tale. “The stamp crowns the long journey between sender and recipient, with the act of sending as an expression of affection. The stamp itself had to be an adventure – a sheet that makes you feel like a child in a sweet shop. That’s how the unusual shapes came about, to evoke a sense of another world. A world full of wonders, fairy tales, and stories.”
Medieval miniatures
Each stamp features an illustration from a well-known European fairy tale. “There are many ways to depict that,” says De Bruijn. “Inspired by fairy tale books, I gave the illustrations the character of medieval miniatures – bright, detailed scenes like those in illuminated manuscripts.” Each stamp is designed as a miniature that fits the beginning of the fairy tale. “I used the same ‘code’ or rebus across all illustrations to create a universally appealing series. The moral of the tales is also reflected – for example, ‘love conquers all’ in Sleeping Beauty with the red rose, and ‘choose the right path’ in Little Red Riding Hood who takes the crooked path.”
Alongside the nine Efteling fairy tales, Journey of the Well-Wish was created especially for these stamps. “The morals in fairy tales – compassion, love for others – are also present in sending post. A card shows you care.”
Buildings, characters and objects
De Bruijn incorporated recurring visual elements in the designs. “Besides snow, stars, and holly, you’ll often see the forest – sometimes prominently, sometimes subtly. It refers to our Fairy Tale Forest, still the heart of Efteling. A walk through a winter forest belongs to December.” He varied the content using themes of architecture, characters, and objects. “Buildings like Sleeping Beauty’s castle and Rapunzel’s tower alternate with characters like Little Red Riding Hood and Long Neck, and objects like the Frog King’s golden ball and the mattresses from The Princess and the Pea. Each stamp has depth, with varying zoom levels.”
Colour palette
Colours play a key role in setting the mood. “I first created all illustrations in black and white,” says De Bruijn. “That’s how Anton Pieck worked – it shows whether your design is logically consistent. Colours were added at the end.” He used a limited palette of warm, romantic tones. “Limiting colours helps create a distinct world with stronger expression. I used Pieck-red, Pieck-yellow, and Pieck-blue as a base, then derived lighter and richer colours. Each illustration is framed in gold – inspired by Joost Swarte’s December stamp, where gold played a key role. Gold belongs to December – just look at the average Christmas tree.”
Designer
Sander de Bruijn (born in Bodegraven, 1980) joined Efteling in 1997 as a holiday staff member at the Witte Paard restaurant, later working as a host in the Marerijk area of the park. From 1998 to 2001, he studied at the Graphic Lyceum in Utrecht, followed by studies at the Utrecht School of the Arts (HKU) from 2001 to 2005.
In the year he graduated as a graphic designer and illustrator from HKU, he received a Kunstanjer award for visual arts and design from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. That same year, 2005, he began working as a designer at Efteling. Over the past 20 years, De Bruijn has been responsible for the design of the new Efteling Museum, the Raveleijn building and themed area, the attractions Baron 1898, Symbolica, and Polles Keuken, as well as the new Efteling Grand Hotel. Since 2018, De Bruijn has held the position of Manager of Design & Experience at Efteling.
SALES/VALIDITY
The December stamps 2025 are available from 10 November 2025 at all PostNL outlets in the Netherlands and via the webshop. They can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service on 088 – 868 99 00. The stamps will remain valid indefinitely, but may only be used without additional postage from 10 November 2025 to 3 January 2026. A sheet of 20 December stamps costs € 24.20.
VALUE
The December stamps with special rate are intended for mail up to 50 grams and for envelopes with a minimum size of 14 x 9 cm and a maximum size of 32 x 22.9 x 1 cm, destined for addresses within the Netherlands between 10 November 2025 and 3 January 2026. For international mail up to 50 grams, two December stamps are sufficient.
TECHNICAL DATA
Stamp size: 29.63 x 25.20 mm, 22.73 x 32.91 mm, 22.60 x 34.22 mm, 22.76 x 36.02 mm, 23.85 x 31.49 mm, 21.65 x 39.90 mm, 22.49 x 31.10 mm, 22.95 x 34.17 mm, 22.49 x 31.10 mm, and 26.06 x 31.46 mm
Sheet size: 144 x 180 mm
Paper: standard with phosphor suppression (red)
Gumming: self-adhesive
Printing technique: offset
Colours: cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and gold
Print run: 2,850,000 sheets
Format: Sheet of 20 stamps in 10 different designs
Design and illustrations: Sander de Bruijn, Efteling, Kaatsheuvel
Printer: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item number: 451061
SUMMARY
Issue: December stamps 2025
Issue date: 10 November 2025
Appearance: Sheet of 20 stamps in 10 different designs, with special December rate for destinations within the Netherlands
Item number: 451061
Design and illustrations: Sander de Bruijn, Efteling, Kaatsheuvel
COPYRIGHT © 2025 Koninklijke PostNL BV
