Christmas

Vintage Christmas stamps from my collection

My all time favorite Christmas stamp. It is just so darn pretty!

Have a great holiday everyone!

Postal Limbo

Ever had a package mailed to you, only for it to get lost in postal limbo? I did. Once in college a friend of mine studied in Japan. He sent me a package around Christmas time, but I never got it. Luckily he came home for Christmas that year and apologized for the goof. He didn't want me to think he forgot. When he went back to Japan he re-mailed a box to me (which I got) and all was well. Incase you are wondering..I have never gotten the other box.

However, one lady in Florida just received a Christmas present from last year. Her daughter mailed it in a flat rate priority box and decided to forgo the insurance (I always do delivery confirmation or insurance when it is a gift). The package got lost in postal limbo, only to show up 371 days late! It always amazes me when I hear things like this and wonder if some day a letter or package will arrive to me like that. One that has been traveling far longer than it should have.

Ever gotten a letter that was lost in postal limbo? If so, I would like to hear about your experience.

Holiday Postmarks!

I am slipping!! I had planned to post this a week or two ago..(right after Thanksgiving to be exact) because I know many of you like to post holiday cards around that time. However, there has to be at least one of you that waits til the last minute (like me).

So, if you missed the post by Becky (The Snailmailer) then this might be new...news for you! The USPS released a list of Post Offices that have holiday names. You can find that list by clicking here (same list that Becky posted).

And there is another list that I use which can be found here. This list includes all holidays (though it may be outdated) and also has some images of postmarks gotten from different places. Which makes it nice when trying to figure out which place offers special pictorial cancellations.

When sending your mail for re-mailing, you need to put the stamped and addressed mail inside a larger envelope. Stamp that envelope and address it to Postmaster C/O Remailing or Holiday Postmark and then include the address to the post office of course. I like to include a small note thanking them for taking the time to cancel my mail. =)

Now, you might want to pop over to this post and leave a comment to join the fun of the Giveable Greetings giveaway! There are only a few days left to win one of her lovely cards. The giveaway ends on Wednesday at 7pm Eastern Standard time.

Jingle Bells...

Thats what happens when you have a wonderfully silly friend who lives an hour away! She found this bell and mailed it to me. I am sure all the letter carriers hated me by the time it was delivered. Because it does make sound. I can say, this was the first Christmas Bell that I have seen in the mail. =)

I have already found some things to mail..and hopefully one of them will get there today...that way I can share it with you!

If you knew that you wouldn't get into trouble..what weird object would you attempt to mail someone without a box?

Holiday Card Post

I was reading through my RSS feeds today and came across Missive Maven's post about holiday cards. If you haven't taken a look, I recommend that you do. =)

Sometimes people have very good intentions when sending out holiday greetings, but they may not realize that the people they send to do not celebrate the same holidays. This got me thinking that when the time comes (probably last minute) I would like to know who to send cards out to. There are a few of you that I am pretty sure celebrate. But then again, I do not ever (that I can recall) discuss religion with any of my penpals. And then again..I am not sure that religion has anything to do with whether someone decides to celebrate.

SO. Now I am curious..do you celebrate any holidays? If so, which ones? I will be taking note so I do not offend anyone. =)

2012 Stamp Preview: Day 7

Christmas in July, indeed! Day seven of the preview brings us these charming Santa Claus stamps. Now to be honest, I am not a super huge fan of these stamps. I much prefer the realistic looking stamps to the more cartoonish ones. But think of these stamps being used on a letter to Santa himself. Yup that would be worth buying some.

"Though his roots go much further back, the modern Santa Claus, the giver of gifts, captured the American imagination in the Revolutionary War era. At that time, understandably critical of English traditions, people looked to the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas for cultural cues and seasonal inspiration. Since then, Santa has become more popular, and is today beloved by millions of children who write him letters, track his progress on the Internet, and leave him milk and cookies as tokens of their esteem."

I copied the above directly from Beyond the Perf because well...I couldn't think of anyway to say it better. The stamps were designed by artist Paul Rogers and art director Howard Paine.

So, tell me...do you like these stamps??