- Saturday, Sept. 14, at 10:30 a.m. EDT
- 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.
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- Where:
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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:
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- 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
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.
USPS
