[JTh]

Re. the stamp from Finland (which strictly speaking is not a Scandinavian country); it shows a beautifully carved Christmas decoration which I suppose you may find in all the Nordic countries and Germany as well. I always have a few hyacinths prepared to bloom for Christmas.

[Hilary]

I did wonder about Scandinavia when I wrote it
Thanks for the information about the carved wooden object

[Hilary]

Helleborus purpurascens
A  stamp  issued by Hungary in 1958 depicting  Helleborus purpurascens
 This is not the white Christmas rose, Helleborus niger, and the photo I have is of a Hellebore flower but not the very white one of Christmas but you get the idea.
For a photo of the Christmas rose look here

 https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=947

 I remember planting some Hellebore plants in my parents’ garden in the north of England but don’t remember them ever flowering.  I think at the time they were becoming popular as the Christmas rose.

There are many references to Hellebores in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN  but non, unfortunately, for Helleborus pupurascens or Helleborus niger

[John J]

I haven't bought any postage stamps for a long time, until today when we went to post a batch of Christmas cards. I was pleasantly surprised to be given a sheet that featured Centaurea akamantis a very rare Cyprus endemic that is only to be found in one location on the island. It is in the Red Data Book of Cyprus and is strictly protected by the Bern Convention.
The photo is of my specimen that I acquired legally I hasten to add.

[Hilary]

Great
Just checked, there are four in the series issued by Cyprus, the most expensive being 1 E

[Hilary]

Christmas tree, Canada 1981
Canada issued a series of three postage stamps in 1981 to celebrate
“The 200th Anniversary of the First Illuminated Christmas Tree in Canada”
The tree in 1981 is decorated solely with blue baubles, not to my taste at all.

The photo of Abies cephalonica was taken at Limni Doxa , a man made lake in the mountainous area of Corinthia and a great tourist attraction along with the monastery of Saint George and the lake of Stymphalia.

The photo of the blue plastic baubles, bought for this photo opportunity and to be given away, was taken on the Hoya

[Hilary]

Grenada
Grenada issued a series of seven stamps in 1977 depicting painted ceiling panels which are in the church of   Saint Martin   in Zillis, Switzerland.
I have two of these stamps 
The one I post today shows the angels announcing the birth of Jesus to the shepherds.
On the right of the ceiling panel there is a Christmas tree decorated with hearts and yellow candles.
The first photo I chose to add to this post is a close up of a Fir tree at Elati, Epirus. The second photo is of one of our Christmas tree decorations showing an angel blowing a trumpet. This decoration was bought in Brussels and is supposedly of Brussels lace

[Hilary]

The Christmas stamp issued by Finland in 2012 was triangular and depicted a Christmas tree.

It seems to me that each place uses, or used to use,  whatever greenery grows plentifully in the neighbourhood.

The first photo shows the Christmas tree in Corinth, in 1966, a Cypress tree decorated with balloons and tinsel.

 The second photo was taken from a carriage on the Athens Suburban Railway when the train unaccountably stopped. Luckily I was armed with my camera and took a photo of this graceful bridge. Now I see that the planting alongside this part of the track includes a line of Cypress trees

There are no shortages of references to Cypress trees in
 THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN

[Hilary]

Here we have a winter snow scene with Santa Claus and a boy walking between “Christmas” trees.

 This was the Christmas stamp   issued by Finland in 1984

The photo is of a view in Switzerland with “ Christmas trees” in silhouette, no snow.

The second photo is of a knitted Christmas tree decoration of Santa, rather pink in the face.

[Hilary]

Cardinalis cardinalis, Northern Cardinal, Cardinal Rouge

A Christmas stamp issued by the USA postal service in 1991

A friend of mine living in California always sends me a Christmas card with some sort of American wild life snowscene. I love this one with the Cardinal sitting on a bare branch in a forest of what looks like silver birch trees.

The Christmas tree ornament was made by a Canadian friend of mine who lived here, in Corinth, over twenty years ago.

The Cardinal is not mentioned specifically in THE MEDITERREAN GARDEN but there are many articles about gardens in the USA, one of which is
A GARDEN ODYSSEY IN SAN MARINO by Cordelia Donnelly in number 80, April 2015
For photographs, see the MGS website
http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/80-sanmarino.html

[Hilary]

This stamp depicting two jolly Christmas elves was issued by Finland in 1974

The photo is of cows grazing among Fir trees somewhere in Switzerland in 1964.

I thought of including a scanned picture of Greek Kallikantzaroi. However these Greek Imps are so mischievous sawing away at the tree holding up the Earth all year round until the twelve days between Christmas and Twelfth Night, when they come to the surface and cause any amount of trouble, that I decided a less mischievous Imp was required..

Trying to think what we could possibly have in the house to accompany this stamp I remembered something one of my sons won at a party.
An Irish Leprechaun. Now he looks jolly enough to meet his Finnish friends

[Hilary]

Yet another Christmas stamp from Finland, this time  1981

The stamp depicts two children wearing long red hats with pompoms bringing home the Christmas tree.
Near them is a pole with a sheaf of grain tied to it for the birds.

I found some information on the Internet about this custom which I copied.

“In Finland the Christmas tree is set up on Christmas Eve. Fir trees are felled, tied onto sleds, and taken home to be decorated beautifully with candies, paper flags, cotton, tinsel, apples and other fruits. Candles are used for lighting the trees. Many women make a visit to some local sauna to groom themselves for the occasion.
Christmas here is replete with different homegrown customs. In Finnish rural areas, it is a popular tradition for farmers to tie a sheaf of grain, nuts and seeds on a pole and placing it in the garden for the birds to feed on. Only after birds eat their dinner, the farmers partake of their Christmas dinner.”

The above quotation comes from this website.
http://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/worldxmas/finland.htm

A couple of years ago I rather overdid it knitting hats for children some of the hats were adorned with pompoms and were and are a great success, especially with the children. Here is a photo of that effort

The photo of Fir trees is from somewhere in Switzerland in 1964

[Hilary]

A Christmas stamp issued by Finland in 1985 and depicting tulips and a paper  or carved wooden bird

The photo of the tulips was sent to me by my niece who lives in Germany. These flowers, which she named “The Perfect Three”, were growing in her garden.

Above the tulips on the stamp is a picture of a paper or carved wooden bird. A few years ago I showed a group of girls how to make this bird, without a tail, then last year I was asked to show a small group of oldish women some sort of Christmas handiwork so out came the bird template again.

These paper birds were made, again without tails, especially for this post.

[Hilary]

Grenada
Grenada issued a series of seven stamps in 1977 depicting painted ceiling panels which are in the 12th C church of   Saint Martin   in Zillis, Switzerland.

I have two of these stamps 

The one I post today shows Joseph on the flight into Egypt

On the right of the ceiling panel depicted on the stamp  is a Christmas tree of Holly decorated with blue candles.

The first photo is of a Holly bush somewhere in Epirus, Greece.
We saw several Holly bushes there on our trip last month and I was surprised to see all the berries. The bush I planted in my parents’ garden in the north of England never managed to keep its berries, the birds ate them all. So the question is.
 Are there no birds in Epirus or is there such a surfeit of food that they don’t eat the Holly berries?

The second photo is of blue candles on our mantlepiece soon to be replaced by red ones for Christmas.

[Hilary]

The Christmas stamp issued by Finland in 1986 depicts four elves playing with a garland.
The garland is tied with red ribbon and the greenery has red baubles tied to it
I remember our landlady, 40 years ago, used to have branches of Myrtle on her sideboard over the Christmas period and no other decorations. One evening I took the children for a walk to look at the Christmas displays in the shop windows, there was only one! I imagine we ended up at the Loukoumada shop.
Apart from the Myrtle branches there also used to be branches with the small firikia apple impaled on the top for sale.
On Saturday we went to the street market, ostensibly to buy pears and spinach, but on my part to take photos and  was pleased to see that Myrtle branches and the apple topped branches were on sale. Here the stall holder had combined them both and he admitted that the red apples were painted. I have been unable to find any reference on the Internet to this tradition of Myrtle and the firikia topped branches.   

It is amazing just how much useful stuff, for photographic purposes, we have around the house.We don’t have an elf dressed in red clothes but I did find another imp, this one is tiny and is of a Cornish Knocker, I didn’t know they were called Knockers until today.The imp is made of Cornish tin and  imprinted on the back is
 SOUTH CROFTY
TIN
CORNWALL

There is no shortage of references to Myrtle in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN 
Go to
http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/index-m.html
and decide which one or ones to read