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!!!

Use The Force - A Star Wars Jedi themed birthday party invitation by Scrapless Press. Our completely editable designs can be customized and will accommodate any age, information and either a horizontal or vertical photo.

USPS.com has the perfect stamps to go with this invitation. With the release of the Star Wars souvenir sheet last May, customers were asked to vote for their favorite Star Wars stamp. Jedi Master Yoda won the vote and is now featured on his own pane of 20 stamps drawn by longtime Star Wars poster artist Drew Struzan.

Scrapless Press will be shipping 6 days a week to make sure your Christmas photo cards arrive in time for you to send them out.

Want to make sure your cards and packages arrive by December 25th? Check the USPS holiday deadlines, listed by destination and mail type, to see when you need to drop your cheer in the mail.

More tips from usps.com

1/ Express Mail Military Service (EMMS) is available to selected military post offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine if this service is available to your APO/FPO of address.

2/ Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL) is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. It is available for Parcel Post items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be paid in addition to the regular surface rate of postage for each addressed piece sent by PAL service.

3/ Space Available Mail (SAM) parcels paid at Parcel Post rate with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to overseas destinations by air as space is available.

Get military addressing tips here.

4/ Priority Mail International is available to over 190 countries with delivery in six to 10 average business days. Flat rate shipping options and free packaging are available. Purchase postage online via USPS.com Click-N-Ship® and receive a 5 percent discount.

5/ Express Mail International is available to over 190 countries with delivery in three to five average business days with guaranteed, money-back service to Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea (Republic of South). Flat rate shipping options and free packaging are available. Purchase postage online via USPS.com Click-N-Ship® and receive an 8 percent discount.

6/ Global Express Guaranteed available to over 190 countries via an alliance with Federal Express. See a retail associate at participating locations for a complete list of countries and money-back guarantee details, or go to pe.usps.com, and click “International Rates and Fees,” then “Country Listing.” Some restrictions apply. Purchase postage online via USPS.com Click-N-Ship® and receive 10 percent discount.

Get international addressing tips here.