NEW YORK CITY — The U.S. Postal Service will begin celebrating the Holiday season tomorrow with four new Forever stamps featuring images that illustrate the themes of four beloved Christmas carols: “Jingle Bells,” “Deck the Halls,” “Silent Night” and “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.”

The stamps will be dedicated tomorrow, Oct. 5, at noon at the American Stamp Dealers Association Fall Stamp Show at the New York Hilton Midtown hotel, 1335 Avenue of the Americas in New York City. The event is free and open to the public. Followers of the U.S. Postal Service’s Facebook page can view the first-day-of-issue ceremony live at facebook.com/USPS.

Familiar lines from each song highlight the individual stamps. The shades of blue in the backgrounds of the stamps evoke the evening scenes from the four carols. This booklet of 20 stamps includes five of each design. The late Howard E. Paine was the art director. Artist Steve McCracken of Winchester, VA, created original art for the project. Customers may pre-order the stamps at this link for delivery shortly after the Oct. 5 issuance.

“We’re excited to continue one of the Postal Service’s long standing traditions — celebrating the holidays with new stamps,” said U.S. Postal Service Brand Marketing Executive Director Christopher Karpenko.

“This year’s selections were inspired by some of America’s favorite Christmas carols, sung and adored by children and adults alike since the 18th century. Translated into dozens of languages, these timeless classics are so recognizable. When holiday items arrive in mailboxes with these stamps, we expect recipients will be humming the tune of the carol lyrics they see — either in their heads or out loud.” 

Scheduled to join Karpenko in the dedication ceremony are American Stamp Dealers Association President Tami Jackson and American Philatelic Society American Philatelist Editor Jay Bigalke. U.S. Postal Service Stamp Services Director Mary-Anne Penner served as master of ceremonies.

“The popularity of Christmas stamps is something celebrated and shared by both stamp collectors and the general public,” said Bigalke. “It’s an honor to be a part of this moment in history introducing a new set of stamps to the nation.”

The Christmas Carol stamps are being issued as Forever stamps that are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.

Ordering First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks
Customers have 60 days to obtain first-day-of-issue postmarks by mail. They may purchase new stamps at United States Post Office locations, at the Postal Store usps.com/shopor by calling 800-782-6724. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:

Christmas Carols Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO  64144-9900

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for postmarks up to a quantity of 50. For more than 50, customers are charged 5 cents each. All orders must be postmarked by Dec. 5, 2017.

Ordering First-Day Covers
The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamps and stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog, online at usps.com/shop or by calling 800-782-6724. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to:

U.S. Postal Service
Catalog Request
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO  64121-9014

Philatelic Products
Philatelic products for this stamp issue are as follows:

• 677306, Press Sheet with Die-cut, $78.40.
• 677310, Digital Color Postmark Keepsake (set of 4), $16.95.
• 677316, First-Day Cover (set of 4), $3.72.
• 677321, Digital Color Postmark (set of 4), $6.56.
• 677324, Framed Art, $29.95.
• 677330, Ceremony Program, $6.95.

You may view many of this year’s other stamps on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps or via Twitter @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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