Stamps
Most of you will already know about the changes to the Dutch postage stamps. Old stamps had a value printed on them. In the new stamps euro amounts are replaced by the figure 1 or 2. The pictures on the stamps remain the same as on the present 44, 88, 75 and 95 cent stamps. It's all very confusing, but here is my attempt to make it simpler: 
Letters or cards to be sent to addresses within the Netherlands and weighing up to 20 g need a stamp bearing a picture of the Queen's head and the figure 1.
Letters and cards to be sent to addresses within the Netherlands and weighing between 20 and 50 g need one stamp bearing a picture of the Queen's head and the figure 2 or two stamps bearing a picture of the Queen's head and the figure 1.
Letters or cards to be sent to addresses outside the Netherlands but inside Europe and weighing up to 20 g need a stamp bearing a picture of a bicycle, the word EUROPA and the figure 1. 
Letters or cards to be sent to addresses outside the Netherlands but inside Europe and weighing between20 and 50 g need two stamps bearing a picture of a bicycle, the word EUROPA and the figure 1.
Letters or cards to be sent to addresses outside Europe and weighing up to 20 g need a stamp bearing a heart-shaped map of the world, the word WERELD and the figure 1.
Letters or cards to be sent to addresses outside Europe and weighing between 20 and 50 g need two stamps bearing a heart-shaped map of the world, the word WERELD and the figure 1
The good news is that any new stamps you have in your possession will remain valid even when postage rates go up, and the next increase is due on 1 January 2011. It will no longer be necessary to add a stamp for the extra few cents. This does not apply to old stamps, i.e. stamps bearing euro amounts, and it is not clear whether the necessary additional stamps will be made available, so use your old stamps as soon as you can.
Christmas stamps (Decemberzegels) will be available from 23 November and will be valid for cards and letters to be sent to addresses within the Netherlands and weighing up to 50 g, posted up to and including 6 January 2011. These stamps will bear the word DECEMBER instead of a 1 or 2 and will cost 34 cents. There is as yet no indication of what you can do with Christmas stamps that remain unused after 6 January. Perhaps you’ll have to keep them till next year. Who knows?
Stamps showing the Queen's head and bearing the figure 1 will be for letters weighing up to 20 g to be sent to addresses in Holland. Letters weighing between 20 g and 50 g will need either one stamp bearing the figure 2 or two stamps bearing the figure 1. Stamps for postage within Holland will show the Queen's head, as in the present 44 and 88 cent stamps. Stamps for postage outside Holland but within Europe will still show a bicycle, like the old 77 cent stamp, and the word EUROPA. Stamps for postage outside Europe will continue to show the heart-shaped map of the world, like the present 95 cent stamp, plus the word WERELD. For some reason no stamps bearing the figure 2 will be issued for postage outside the Netherlands.
Regards Patricia