COVER N. 370 - UK

Postmark:  Royal Mail Southampton Portsmouth& IOW 05.12.2023

Posted on the 5th December; received on the 13th December 2023

_________________________________________________________________________________

I have taken a decision...call it a new year's resolution....

I am going to speed up things here a bit so that I can come to terms with the stash of covers I still have to post here on the blog.

So, not much talk, just the cover and some notes about the stamps, to see if I can catch up with my friend Mr. Postman, who happily keeps dropping great stuff into my mailbox.

Without further ado, let's end the Christmas 2023 section with a letter I got from my Friends Sylvia and Fraser. Thank a lot guys! Happy New Year!

The 2023 Christmas stamps issue of Royal Mail, dated of 02NOV2023, comprised five stamps on a souvenir sheet (2 x 1st; 2 x 2nd; 2.20 £), each one entitled with a line from a Christmas Carol.

The 2.20 £ on my letter illustrated with the three Magi Kings evokes the “We Three Kings” carol, written by  John Henry Hopkins Jr. in 1857, whose refrain starts with the lines of the legend in the stamp:" Star of Wonder, Star of night..." 

The mechanical postmark  from Portsmouth publicises the support of Royal Mail to the British Hearth Foundation.