About This Stamp
The sight of a festive and elegant evergreen wreath on the front door offers a traditional welcome to family and friends during the holidays. The U.S. Postal Service celebrates that tradition internationally with Global Forever®: Evergreen Wreath, its first global holiday stamp.
This international rate stamp offers a single price for any First-Class Mail International® 1-ounce letter to any country in the world. For the January 27, 2013, price change, the Evergreen Wreath stamp may also be used to mail a 2-ounce letter to Canada. To distinguish this stamp from other Forever stamps, the shape of the international stamp is round and bears the words "Global Forever."
The wreath that graces the stamp art — created especially for the project — has a base made of a wire metal frame folded around Styrofoam, which was spray-painted green. The designer attached evergreen twigs onto picks — small sticks with one sharpened end — and then inserted them into the base, rotating the picks to make the wreath full and lush, a process that took more than eight hours. The decorations are clusters of bright red Nandina berries and pinecones. The wreath is finished with a traditional red bow, centered on the top with its tails draping down into the center of the evergreens. The completed wreath measured approximately 23 inches across.
The wreath is centered on a white background. The text surrounding the stamp art includes the word “Global” highlighted in red. The words “Forever” and “USA” are in gray.
Wreaths have an ancient history. Evidence suggests their use by pre-Christian people in Northern Europe in the fourth century. Laden with lighted candles, the wreaths symbolized the hope that spring would follow the dark days of winter. By the 16th century, Christians in Germany used lighted wreaths during Advent, the weeks leading up to the celebration of the Nativity. From Germany, the tradition of the Advent wreath spread rapidly to other parts of Europe. The circle of the wreath traditionally symbolizes immortality, while the use of evergreens represents eternity.
Evergreens are still a popular component of many holiday wreaths. However, wreaths now come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. Made from plants like eucalyptus, laurel, pine boughs, and mistletoe or from material like glass, wood, paper, and wire, wreaths can be shaped into stars, circles, squares, ovals—almost any shape is possible.
Art director William J. Gicker designed the stamp. George E. Brown photographed the wreath, created by Alan Talley.
Stamp Art Director
William Gicker
William Gicker served as Director of Stamp Services for the U.S. Postal Service from 2020 until his retirement in 2023. In that position he oversaw stamp development, stamp products and exhibitions, stamp manufacturing, stamp fulfillment, and the Postmaster General’s Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC).
Gicker began working for the U.S. Postal Service in 1998. Initially assistant editor of USA Philatelic, the quarterly stamp catalog produced by Stamp Services, he soon became editor where he oversaw the catalog’s award-winning program until 2013.
Named creative director of stamps in 2001, Gicker became manager and creative director of Stamp Development in 2015. Working closely with Postal Service art directors and CSAC, he managed the creative development and quality control of more than 800 stamp issuances and 1,700 individual stamp designs.
He has served as art director for some of the most popular stamps issued by the Postal Service: the five-year Art of Disney series; Star Wars; Holy Family; Harry Potter; and Hot Wheels. As both art director and designer, Gicker lists among his many stamps, Holiday Baubles; the first international rate Global stamp in 2013; and the Gifts of Friendship joint issuance with Japan. He was also art director for the first stamp to celebrate Diwali, eight more Global Forever® stamps, and several Christmas Madonna and Child issuances, the most recent in 2024.
A native of Pennsylvania, Gicker graduated from West Chester University with a bachelor of arts degree in English Literature. He and his family live in Washington, DC.