The Santa Claus, Indiana, Post Office selected the special 2023 picture postmark for the upcoming holiday season. On Friday, December 1, the post office will begin offering the picture postmark to cancel the postage stamps on holiday mail again this year.
This famous small-town post office is the only one in the world with the Santa Claus name and receives over 400,000 pieces of mail in December – compared to only 13,000 pieces of mail per month the rest of the year. This special picture postmark has been offered every Christmas season since 1983.
About the Artist
Each year, the holiday postmark is designed by a local high school art student as part of an annual contest. This year’s artist is Allison Hoffman, daughter of Jeremy and Lee Ann Hoffman of Mariah Hill, Indiana. Allison is now a freshman at Indiana State University.
What You Need to Know
“Patrons from all over the world request the Santa Claus holiday postmark. Some drive into town to personally hand cancel their holiday mail with the famous picture postmark and others request the special postmark by mail,” says Postmaster Cheryl Bailey. “The famous Santa Claus postmark is a long-standing tradition for the town and it’s always fun to see the unique artwork each year.”
She asks anyone interested in getting the special cancellation on their holiday mail to follow these guidelines:
- Allow at least a 2-inch by 4-inch space in the stamp area for the picture postmark;
- Apply postage to cards or letters before bringing or mailing them to the post office;
- If you wish to mail Christmas cards to the post office, package them – with postage stamps already on them – in a sturdy envelope or box, and mail to: Postmaster, P.O. Box 9998, Santa Claus, IN 47579-9998;
- The picture postmark is available on working days between December 1 and 24;
- The picture postmark must be requested by the postal customer;
- To ensure a good postmark imprint, do not enclose large or bulky items in your holiday mail (Ex: reindeer food, snowflakes, glitter, stickers, etc.);
- There is no charge for postmarking; however, there is a limit of 50 picture postmarks (hand cancellations) per person per day.