First day, 300-year anniversary of the consecration of Christkindl pilgrimage church and of the Christmas kiss coil stamp

The Christkindl post office also opened its 76th season once again in the outdoor area of the Hotel-Restaurant Christkindl. Over the years, the Christkindl post office has become a much-loved institution for young and old alike, both in Austria and abroad, because sending Christmas greetings “via Christkindl” is something truly special. This is evidenced by the thousands of letters that children send to the Christ Child every year. The idea of establishing a dedicated post office in this idyllic place with its distinctive name dates back to 1946 and originated with a member of the US occupation forces. The postal service put this idea into practice just four years later. From 1950 onwards, greeting mail posted in Unterhimmel near Steyr was cancelled with a special Christmas commemorative postmark. Very soon, the small post office could no longer cope with the volume of mail and had to relocate to a nearby inn during the Christmas season. Encouraged by this unexpected success, the Christmas post office quickly developed into a permanent international institution and today attracts visitors from all over the world.

Christmas – 300-year anniversary of the consecration of the Christkindl pilgrimage church

A pilgrimage steeped in tradition

This year marks a very special anniversary in Christkindl, a district of the Upper Austrian town of Steyr: the Baroque pilgrimage church of Christkindl was consecrated 300 years ago.

The origins of the Christkindl pilgrimage church date back to an event in the 17th century. Ferdinand Sertl, the tower watchman of Steyr, placed a small wax figure of the Christ Child inside a hollow tree and prayed before it for relief from his epilepsy. When he was indeed healed, word spread quickly and increasing numbers of pilgrims came to pray at the site. A chapel was built around the tree, and construction of the present pilgrimage church began in 1702. The plans were drawn up by Carlo Antonio Carlone, and the church was completed by Jakob Prandtauer. It is a centrally planned building with four apses and two façade towers. On 26 July 1725, the Bishop of Passau, Josephus Dominikus Lamberg, officially consecrated the pilgrimage church. To this day, large numbers of pilgrims continue to visit the “Christ Child in the tree beneath the open sky”.
The Baroque high altar was probably designed by Prandtauer and crafted by Leonhard Sattler by 1720. The original tree trunk was incorporated into the altar table, while the wax Christ Child is set in a radiant halo above the tabernacle, which is shaped like a globe. Christkindl holds a special place in the history of Austrian postal services: every Advent, the Christkindl post office opens its doors right next to the church, and the church itself has served as the motif for Austrian postage stamps on several occasions.

Christmas – Christmas kiss

Christmas nostalgia

During the Christmas season, many people send festive greeting cards to those they are unable to meet in person. A beautifully designed postage stamp makes every piece of mail feel even more festive.

The stamp motif evokes Victorian Christmas cards, which were popular during the reign of Queen Victoria in 19th-century Britain. It depicts a gentle kiss between two children – a charming symbol of friendship and mutual affection. In the background, a snow-covered church can be seen. The little girl is dressed in a gown made of festive mistletoe sprigs, while the boy’s jacket is adorned with holly leaves.

Both plants are traditionally used as winter decorations. Holly, also known as Ilex, is admired for its glossy, dark green, spiky leaves and its bright red – though poisonous – berries. Mistletoe, by contrast, is a parasitic plant that grows in often large, spherical clusters in the branches of deciduous trees. Used as a medicinal plant, mistletoe bears sticky white berries among its small evergreen leaves. At Christmas time, mistletoe is traditionally hung above doorways. A custom originating in the English-speaking world holds that two people standing beneath it may kiss – and that such a kiss will bring good luck. According to legend, a couple who kiss under the mistletoe will remain together for life. Perhaps the Christmas kiss on this stamp will also bring a little joy and good fortune to someone.

When? 
28 November 2025, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., presentation at 10:00 a.m.

Where? 
Christkindl post office, Christkindlweg 6, 4411 Christkindl 

Group photos:
Picture of presentation: © Österreichische Post AG

Group photo, left to right:

Harald Kunczier (head of branch network business segment, Austrian Post), Johann Hintermaier (episcopal vicar), Christian Dörfel (State Councillor) Peter Umundum (deputy CEO of Austrian Post), student choir of Christkindl primary school, Steyrer Christkind