Christmas/Holiday Traditions Continue on Through the Mail by Peter Rexford on Creators.com

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Christmas/Holiday Traditions Continue on Through the Mail

If you dial the clock back to 1961, in the eyes of the U.S. Postal Service, Christmas didn't exist. That's because there was no official Christmas stamp until 1962. It was a modest little 4-cent stamp showing a wreath, two candles and the word Christmas.

The next year, the USPS really got into the Christmas spirit. Postage had then gone up to 5 cents per letter but, during the holidays, if you didn't seal the envelope but merely tucked in the flap, you could save a penny and send your Christmas cards for the old rate of 4 cents. Pretty nice.

Over the years, a new Christmas stamp would be issued annually until around 1980. That's just about when the wave of "political correctness" began to creep into our lives. Evidently, someone suggested that Christmas stamps were too exclusional. Much to the uproar of traditionalists, a new type of stamp was introduced to only include the words, "Seasons Greetings."

In subsequent years, more annual stamps were issued to commemorate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Eid. The American melting pot continued to boil.

To get around the perception of mixing religion and government, the Postal Service made sure any stamp showing Jesus and Mary was reproduced from a classic painting. That way, any religious connotations on a stamp could be justified as merely showcasing a piece of art.

This year is no exception. The 44-cent 2009 Christmas stamp features a rare painting entitled "Christmas: Madonna and Sleeping Child" by Sassoferrato. The 300-year-old painting is exceptionally detailed and was purchased by multimillionaire and philanthropist William Randolph Hearst in 1926. It's been in his collection at the historic Hearst Castle ever since.

In a statement by the Postal Service, they said the image was chosen because, "The beauty of a mother cradling her child … represents the best of all that is good about Christmas and its traditions — home, family, love and togetherness."

Anyone wishing special first-day-of-issue cancels on the stamp can get them by mail.

Purchase the stamps at a local post office, affix them to a self- addressed envelope and send that inside of a separate mailing envelope to: Christmas: Madonna and Sleeping Child Stamp?, Postmaster, ?444 San Simeon Road, ?San Simeon, CA 93452-9998.

There's no charge for the canceled envelopes, which will be returned through regular mail, but ALL orders must be postmarked by Dec. 21, 2009.

This year marks 200 years since Abraham Lincoln was born and 100 years of the existence of the Lincoln penny. For the anniversary, the U.S. Mint released four pennies with images of stages of Lincoln's life through his presidency. Because the holidays are traditionally a time of miracles, I'm thrilled to report that one recently happened to me. I finally received one of the commemorative pennies in my change! That's right. With billions of the tiny copper coins issued since the beginning of the year, I got one. Of course, it was quickly gone when I stopped at the store.

For those equally frustrated by not having seen many of the cents, in time for the holidays, the Mint is issuing a collector's set of the four pennies and the Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar.

Limited to just 50,000, the sets sell for $55.95 plus $4.95 shipping costs. The "2009 United States Mint Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set" includes the five coins encased in clear protective capsules, a reproduction of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln's handwriting, a portrait of Lincoln and a Certificate of Authenticity. The set is housed in a hardcover slipcase.

The four Lincoln Bicentennial pennies feature a reverse design of four aspects of Lincoln's life including: early childhood in Kentucky; formative years in Indiana; professional life in Illinois; and his presidency in Washington, D.C.

The set is available directly from the Mint through their website at www.usmint.gov/catalog or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). There's no guarantee of future increased value but, in numismatics, 50,000 is a relatively low issuance. Just a thought.

Editor's Note: A JPEG visual of the new 2009 Traditional Christmas stamp has been sent with this column.

To find out more about Peter Rexford and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.