For our First Noel Letters Countdown Day 6 we are looking at the First US Stamp Celebrating Christmas the 1962 Wreath and Candle 4¢ stamp. 

Happy Monday on the busiest mailing and shipping day of 2016!

First US Stamp Celebrating Christmas

Thank you to my dear friend Tally (one of My Three Muses) who thought of me when reading the Really Simple magazine article talking about the First US Stamp Celebrating Christmas!

The 1962 Wreath and Candle 4¢ U.S. Stamp was issued on November 1, 1962.
From the description at Mystic Stamp Company.  It describes the Post Office Department printing of 350 million stamps; however they ended up printing over 800 million stamps by end of 1962.

“U.S. #1205 was the first U.S. stamp specifically celebrating Christmas. A Christmas theme had been requested for years. At the dedication ceremony, Postmaster General J. Edward Day announced it would be the first of a series of stamps to commemorate the holiday.”

Quick Reminder Mailing Deadlines
Tuesday – December 20th First-Class Mail Cards and Letters.
Dec. 21 – Priority Mail.
Dec. 23 – Priority Mail Express.

Thank you for joining me today.  There is still time to get our Christmas cards and packages off into the mail.  USPS is describing expectations for today “… to be the busiest mailing and shipping day for holiday packages, letters and cards.”

Wishing you a great evening for “Burning the midnight oil” as the expression goes if needing to stay up later than normal to finish addressing cards. Here’s to getting all our mail to the Post Office and being in line with everyone else tomorrow! 

Anchors Aweigh,