To obtain a high-resolution image for media use only, email roy.a.betts@usps.gov

WASHINGTON — The Postal Service has teamed with one of the nation’s leading companies producing decorative and commercial products to sell the 2011 White House Holiday Ornament at approximately 7,000 Post Offices across the country.

ChemArt of Lincoln, RI, has been the sole manufacturer of the annual White House Christmas ornament since the program inception in 1981, and was given exclusive retail distribution rights by the White House Historical Association. ChemArt and the association are proud to present the 36th ornament in the association’s series, which recalls the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt, his wife Edith and the couple’s young family when they called the White House home from 1901 until 1909.

“We anticipate that the ornament will be very popular — especially among collectors,” said Steven Mills, manager, USPS Retail Products. “Our vast retail presence will enable the product to reach a broader audience than ever before.”

The 2011 White House Holiday Christmas Ornament is now available at select Post Offices until Christmas Day for $24.99.

Also, under a licensing agreement, ChemArt will manufacture and sell holiday ornaments in 2012 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Postal Service’s Letters to Santa program. In 2013, under the agreement, ChemArt will introduce licensed Holiday ornaments based on more than 50 years of Postal Service holiday stamp images.

“All of the ornaments will be made in the USA and will be sold in Post Offices and commercial retail channels,” said Gary Thuro, manager, USPS Licensing. “We are pleased to bring quality products to our customers and generate revenue for the Postal Service.”

Customers can view an image of the collectible envelope on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional on this issue, please go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.

For 30 years, ChemArt has served as the premiere designer and manufacturer of photo-chemically etched decorative ornaments and collectibles in the United States.  Since its inception in 1976, ChemArt has been a fully integrated company combining multiple technologies - etching, plating, screen printing - under one roof to control the quality of the decorative and commercial products they make. Their designers develop custom products for decoration and industry; and take pride in the fact that they are 100% handmade in America. Whether as a thank you gift, fundraising vehicle, precision part or commemorative piece, ChemArt understands what it means to have heart at the core of your organization.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.