U.S. Postal Service to Unveil New Holiday Stamps at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum

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Aug 20, 2024, 10:00 ET

2024 Christmas Madonna and Child / Holiday Joy Forever Stamps - United States Postal Service.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

When:	Saturday, Sept. 14, at 10:30 a.m. EDT

What:	The U.S. Postal Service will host a special stamp dedication ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum to unveil the highly anticipated 2024 Christmas Madonna and Child stamp and Holiday Joy stamps.

	These stamps capture the spirit of the season, celebrating both the traditional and contemporary aspects of holiday festivities.

	The event will include remarks from prominent postal officials and be followed by the National Postal Museum's Holiday Stamps Family Festival, with guest artist Katie Kirk.

Who:	Sheila Holman, USPS vice president of marketing, and Mark Guilfoil, USPS vice president of supply management, will serve as the dedicating officials.

Where:	National Postal Museum
	2 Massachusetts Ave. NE
	Washington, DC 20002

Details:	The Madonna and Child stamp has been a beloved part of the Postal Service's holiday stamp offerings for decades, featuring iconic images of the Virgin Mary and Child from various artistic traditions. This year's design continues that tradition, offering a beautiful representation of this timeless theme.

	The Holiday Joy stamps, meanwhile, offer a vibrant and festive option for holiday greetings, with designs that evoke the joy and warmth of the holiday season.

	The dedication ceremony will feature a first-day-of-issue event, where attendees will have the opportunity to purchase the new stamps and get them postmarked with a special first-day-of-issue cancellation.

	The event is free and open to the public.

Visuals:	• The unveiling of the new stamps
	• Remarks from speakers
	• A live holiday-themed family festival
	• Attendees purchasing and cancelling their stamps
	• Autographs by special guests and VIPs

RSVP:	Attendees are encouraged to register at usps.com/holidaystampsceremony.

	To ensure seating and access to interviews with event speakers and special guests, members of the media are encouraged to RSVP on the USPS media sign-in website.

About the Stamps

Christmas Madonna and Child features the serene Madonna and Child from the workshop of the 17th-century Italian artist Giovanni Battista Salvi, called "Sassoferrato" (1609-1685). William Gicker was the art director and Greg Breeding designed the stamp, which will be sold in booklets of 20.

Holiday Joy, four stamps inspired by Mexican folk art, were designed by Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, using original digital illustrations by Michelle Muñoz.

Christmas Madonna and Child and Holiday Joy are being issued as Forever stamps, which are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce rate.

Postal Products

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products online at The Postal Store, by calling 844-737-7826 or at Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon.

Additional information on stamps, first-day-of-issue ceremonies and stamp-inspired products can be found at StampsForever.com.

Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to 167 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands.

The Postal Service generally 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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