USPS Christmas Stamps 2009

The United States Postal Service has been issuing special holiday postage stamps since 1962. People love to decorate their holiday mail with these special stamps, and the post office has fueled the fun by issuing new stamps every year. In addition to a traditional Christmas stamp, the USPS also now issues postage celebrating winter, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

2009 Christmas Stamp
For 2009, the USPS chose Sassoferrato’s Madonna and Sleeping Child as the image for its annual Christmas stamp. The original painting by Italian Baroque painter Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato is more than 300 years old and is currently on display at Hearst Castle in California.

At the dedication ceremoney to release the stamp, James Bilbray, a member of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors, said, "Sassoferrato’s Madonna and Sleeping Child provides a symbol of the endearing and enduring bond of family,” said “The beauty of a mother cradling her child and the symbolic message of purity, love and sacrifice are brilliant. It represents the best of all that is good about Christmas and its traditions — home, family, love and togetherness."

2009 Winter Holidays Stamps
The Winter Holidays stamps were unveiled in October, along with the 2009 Hanukkah and Kwanzaa stamps, at the American Stamp Dealers Association Mega Stamp Show in New York. The four winter stamps feature a snowman, reindeer, gingerbread man and a toy soldier. Each of the images is framed by a light brown border on top and bottom featuring green wreaths, stars, Christmas trees or holly leaves.

The images were designed by artist Joseph Cudd of Brushworks Studio, in Greensboro, NC. According to the USPS press release, Cudd first sketched the designs by hand and then finished them on the computer using a graphics tablet.

2009 Hanukkah Stamp
The 2009 Hanukkah stamp features a photo by Ira Wexler showing a menorah with nine lit candles. The menorah was designed by Lisa Regan of the Garden Deva Sculpture Company in Oklahoma. This is only the third stamp the USPS has issued to commemorate Hanukkah. The first was released in 1996 and featured an illustration of a menorah, and a second Hanukkah stamp featuring a dreidel was released in 2004.

2009 Kwanzaa Stamp
The 2009 Kwanzaa stamp marks the third time the USPS has celebrated this winter holiday on official postage. Stamp artist Lloyd McNeill of New York City, under the direction of Carl T. Herrman, created this year's stamp.

According to a USPS press release, "The bold colors in the stamp art are complemented in the top right corner by the colors of the Kwanzaa flag — green for growth, red for blood, and black for the African people — which are the same colors as the Pan-African flag. The field of green around the borders symbolizes growth and a bountiful harvest. In the hoop that the girl holds in her hands, as well as in the family grouping of mother, father, and child, McNeill symbolized unity."

All the 2009 holiday designs are available on 44-cent First Class stamps in booklets or sheets of 20.

Anyone who'd like to get a special first-day-of-issue postmark for the new holiday stamps has 60 days from the stamp's issue to request it. Requests for the first-day-o-fissue postmark for the Christmas stamp must be received by December 21, requests for the Winter Holidays stamps must be received by December 9 and requests for the Hanukkah and Kwanzaa stamps must be received by December 10.

To get the postmark, customers should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others, and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

(Winter Holidays) (Hanukkah) (Kwanzaa) Stamp(s)
Postmaster
421 Eighth Ave., Rm. 2029B
New York, NY 10199-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for this service.

The US Postal Service isn't the only place you can buy festive Christmas postage stamps. You can find thousands of holiday stamps designs on genuine US postage at Zazzle, and you can customize any of the available designs or even create your own personalized stamp with your own photo or image. Just search the postage at Zazzle to see the many options available.