This might possibly rank as one of the top 10 time saving tips for the holiday season. If you’ve made a trip to the post office recently you may have noticed the longer lines which is always accompanied by little patience. Last year I had to stand in line for over 30 minutes to buy stamps for our family Christmas cards. The design selection wasn’t the greatest so I took what I could get. This year, we popped on over to usps.com to order our stamps online. They arrived in my mailbox in less than one week!
For a long time now the USPS has offered stamps depicting various aspects of American life and culture. This year is no different. Some of the great designs offered by the USPS are:
Holiday Knits - For the 2007 holiday season, the U.S. Postal Service will issue Holiday Knits, four stamps featuring classic Christmas-time imagery designed and machine knitted by nationally known illustrator Nancy Stahl: There is a dignified stag; a snow-dappled evergreen tree; a perky snowman sporting a top hat; and a whimsical teddy bear.
Luini’s Madonna of the Carnation - The 2007 Christmas stamp features an oil-on-panel painting entitled The Madonna of the Carnation by Milanese painter Bernardino Luini. Dating to around 1515, the painting is now part of the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The stamp art is considered a detail of the painting, as the original photograph was slightly cropped on all four sides to fit the stamp format.
Hanukkah - The Hanukkah stamp—part of the Holiday celebrations series—features a photograph of a dreidel and the word “Hanukkah.” This stamp design was previously issued with a 39-cent denomination in 2006.
Kwanzaa - This stamp—part of the Holiday Celebrations series—commemorates the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa, which celebrates the seven principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
Celebrate - The new “Celebrate!” stamp, to be issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 2007, will help postal patrons acknowledge a host of happy occasions, from birthdays to engagements to anniversaries and more. When good times call for good wishes, this stamp design will add a touch of cheer to special greeting cards and gift-bearing packages.
Art of Disney: Magic - With help from some of Walt Disney’s famous animated characters, four stamps illustrate the theme of magic. U.S. Postal Service art director Terrence W. McCaffrey joined with a Disney team including artist Peter Emmerich and creative director Dave Pacheco to create four stamps that feature Dumbo and Timothy Mouse, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, Mickey Mouse as “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” and Aladdin and Genie.
You can also get Marvel Super Hero stamps depicting individual Marvel characters: Captain America, Elektra, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Sub-Mariner, The Incredible Hulk, The Thing and Wolverine, and why not… a stamp celebrating… (gulp) JURY DUTY!
Whatever you decide to do about stamps or postage for your holiday cards and goodies, do it now. Deadlines for packages to reach far off destinations are quickly approaching.
FYI, Scrapless Press cards DO NOT require any additional postage. HAPPY SHOPPING!!!
