The Postal Service issued the 1998 contemporary and traditional Christmas issues on October 15, 1998.
First issued in Washington, DC, the 32-cent Holiday Traditional: Florentine Madonna definitive stamp was designed by Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, Arizona, and printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in the offset process.
Four 32-cent Holiday Contemporary: Wreaths Special Stamps were issued in Christmas, Michigan. The stamps were designed by Chris Crinklaw, of King City, California; George de Bruin, of San Francisco, California; Lillian Dinihanian, of Beaverton, Oregon; and Micheale Thunin, of Berkeley, California, and photographed by Marc Simon, San Francisco, California. The Banknote Corporation of America printed the stamps in panes of twenty and in booklets, both in the offset process.
