CINCINNATI POSTAL DISTRICT – In true holiday spirit, the Postal Service has once again issued Holiday Contemporary and Traditional postage stamps. This year, the Holiday Contemporary is Evergreens Forever and the Holiday Traditional is the Angel with Lute.

The tradition began in 1962 when the Post Office Department issued its first Christmas stamp in Pittsburgh, PA. When Postmaster General J. Edward Day dedicated the stamp, he said it would be the first in a series of Christmas stamps.

Anticipating a huge demand for the new Christmas stamp, the Department ordered 350 million printed —the largest number produced for a special stamp until that time. The green and red four-cent stamps featured a wreath, two candles, and the words Christmas 1962. The initial supply sold out quickly, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing began working around the clock to print more. By the end of 1962 one billion of the stamps had been printed and distributed.

In 1996, the Postal Service paid tribute to Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, by issuing the first Hanukkah stamp, which featured a stylized illustration of a menorah. A design featuring an ornate dreidel followed in 2004. This season, the Postal Service will continue selling the 2009 Hanukkah stamp, the third U.S. stamp to commemorate the holiday.

In 1997, the Postal Service paid tribute to Kwanzaa, the celebration of family, community and culture, by issuing the first Kwanzaa stamp, which features a colorful portrait of an African-American family, a "symbol of family and togetherness. A design featuring seven figures in colorful robes followed in 2004. This season, the Postal Service will continue selling the 2009 Kwanzaa stamp, the third U.S. stamp to commemorate the holiday.

In 2001, the Postal Service paid tribute to Eid, by issuing the Eid stamp, which features the phrase "Eid Mubarak" — meaning “blessed festival” — in gold Arabic script on a blue background. The stamp commemorates the two most important festivals on the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The stamp has been reissued in the original design to reflect current stamp rates.

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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 direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.