The Santa Claus, Indiana, Post Office selected the special 2024 picture postmark for the upcoming holiday season. On Monday, December 2, the post office will begin offering the picture postmark to cancel the postage stamps on holiday mail again this year.
This famous small-town post office is the only one in the world with the Santa Claus name and receives over 400,000 pieces of mail in December – compared to only 13,000 pieces of mail per month the rest of the year. This special picture postmark has been offered every Christmas season since 1983.
Each year, the holiday postmark is designed by a local high school art student as part of an annual contest.
This year’s artist is Aubrey Harpe, daughter of Jennifer Harpe and Adam Crowe of St. Meinrad, Indiana. Aubrey is now a freshman at the University of Southern Indiana and studying education.
“Each year, patrons from all over the world request the celebrated Santa Claus holiday postmark. Many drive into town in order to hand cancel their holiday mailings personally with the renowned picture postmark; others request the special postmark by mail. The endearing Santa Claus postmark is a long-standing tradition for our town, and it contributes to the charm of the spirit each season,” says Postmaster Joshua Graham. “It is exciting and fun to see the unique artwork each year, and it is an honor for this office not only to select an artist’s contribution, but also to provide this service for the public.”
He asks anyone interested in getting the special cancellation on their holiday mail to follow these guidelines:
· Allow at least a 2-inch by 4-inch space in the stamp area for the picture postmark;
· Apply postage to cards or letters before bringing or mailing them to the post office;
· If you wish to mail Christmas cards to the post office, package them – with postage stamps already on them – in a sturdy envelope or box, and mail to: Postmaster, P.O. Box 9998, Santa Claus, IN 47579-9998;
· The picture postmark is available on working days between December 2 and 24;
· The picture postmark must be requested by the postal customer;
· To ensure a good postmark imprint, do not enclose large or bulky items in your holiday mail (Ex: reindeer food, snowflakes, glitter, stickers, etc.);
· There is no charge for postmarking; however, there is a limit of 50 picture postmarks (hand cancellations) per person per day.
The town of Santa Claus will host a celebration of family fun during the first three weekends of December. Special events and activities include Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, Writing a Letter to Santa, the Santa Claus Christmas Parade, and more. Find details on all upcoming events at SantaClausInd.org/Events.
For information about Santa Claus Christmas Celebration holiday packages, call (888) 444-9252 or visit SantaClausInd.org/Packages.
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