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Making their mark

Employees delight in holiday postmarks

Chadwick Ruckart, a postal support employee in Bethlehem, MD, affixes the Post Office’s popular postmark to mail.
Chadwick Ruckart, a postal support employee in Bethlehem, MD, affixes the Post Office’s popular postmark to mail.

Santa Claus isn’t the only one leaving his mark on the holidays.

Post Offices in places like Bethlehem, MD, and Christmas, FL, are also putting their stamp of approval on the season.

Through the USPS holiday postmarks program, customers from across the nation can send pre-stamped cards to aptly named Post Offices, where employees affix a special postmark to each envelope.

“Customers bring in their cards from all over the state just to receive our cancellation,” said Star, NC, Postmaster Angela Johnson. “I enjoy hearing the stories of how many years they have gotten their Christmas cards canceled with our special cancellation.”

Customers also seek the postmark from Nazareth, MI, where employees hand cancel about 40,000 holiday cards each year; Rudolph, WI, where more than 10,000 customers are expected to send items through the Post Office this year; and Christmas, FL, which receives customers from across the world.

“There are many customers who plan their vacations around the holidays just to come to the Christmas Post Office,” said Postmaster Dawn King.

Johnson sees the popularity of the postmarks as another example of mail’s enduring appeal.

“It’s so wonderful in this digital age to still see so many people still sending cards and letters,” she said.

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