Venetian Tower at Christmas Time

I sent this card to Czech on December 26, 2014 as a replacement of US-2566010 that was posted on December 26, 2013. The original copy was the same as US-2518598, showing the tower at The Venetian Las Vegas with a round shaped USPS Evergreen Wreath Global Forever Stamp issued on October 24, 2013. It was apparently lost in the mail and had expired since. When the Postcard ID was dropped from the PostCrossing system after one year, it has formally entered my postcard graveyard. The replacement card has a new USPS Silver Bells Wreath Global Forever stamp that was issued on October 23, 2014 along with the Winter Fun stamps.

The Venetian Tower with Christmas Tree as seen on December 27, 2014.

Feeding Deer in Snow

Postcard UA-1197815 from Ukraine features a child feeding a deer in snow during the Christmas time. However, with the advance of technology, Christmas activities have shifted to other things, such as playing drones ...

Christmas Market in Fellbach, Germany

Postcard DE-3731053 from Germany shows the Christmas Market around the town hall in Fellbach, Germany. It opens from December 4 to December 21 in 2014, and it has an open-air ice rink next to the Lutheran Church through January 6, 2015.

The food court opens daily from noon on weekdays, from 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. on Sunday; and closes late on 8:00 p.m. (although it's early in Las Vegas standard.) Many groups from kindergartens, schools, music and chorus clubs perform daily at the City Hall courtyard.

Ho Ho Ho

It is the time of the year again to join more than 10,000 Santa lookalikes to run 5K or walk 1 mile in the annual Great Santa Run in Las Vegas, Nevada, and get a special postmark on your mail from Santa Claus Station, Santa Claus, Indiana.

In its 10th anniversary at downtown Las Vegas, the Great Santa Run, is a fundraiser event for Opportunity Village, a nonprofit organization founded 60 years ago in 1954 that serves almost 3,000 people with intellectual disabilities with vocational training, employment opportunities, enrichment services and other supports. (Update: the number of runners in 2014 was tallied as 8725)

The Great Santa Run in Las Vegas, 2014

In Santa Claus, Indiana, the famous small-town post office Santa Claus Station, the only one in the world bearing the Santa Claus name, is offering a special pictorial postmark on holiday mail again this year, continuing a tradition since 1983. Every year, the holiday postmark is designed by a local high school art student during an annual contest. Shyann Smith, a 2014 senior at Heritage Hills High School from Fulda, Indiana won the 2014 competition. The postmark is available from December 1 to December 24.

Postmaster Marian Balbach asks anyone who requests the special cancellation to follow the 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, Santa Claus Station, 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.

Postcard US-2452330 to Taiwan was sent in to the Santa Claus Station for its 2013 edition of the special cancellation, replacing a prior Flying Jenny card presumably lost in the mail.

Möge Dir Jede Schneeflocke Einen Wunsch Erfüllen

Postcard CH-217828 from Switzerland was the first holiday card I received for the 2014 season. "May every snow flake fulfill you a wish," says Santa on the card. However, the recent weather in Las Vegas has been unseasonably warm with a high forecast at 75°F or 24°C and a low at 47°F or 8°C for tomorrow. It will be a while before we see any snow.

Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort at the nearby Mount Charleston was scheduled its opening this Friday on November 28, 2014; but the warm weather has pushed back the opening date to December 5, 2014 as the earliest as the daytime temperature is not cold enough to keep snow frozen, even with the help of snow machines.

Hyvää Uutta Vuotta

Postcard FI-1978040 from Finland brought fireworks and a message of "Happy New Year" to Las Vegas. Interestingly, according to wikipedia, "fireworks (other than novelties and sparklers) are sold only between Christmas and New Year in Finland, and their use is allowed only on New Year's Eve from 6pm to 2am the following morning."

Fröhliche Weihnachten und viel Glück im neuen Jahr

"Merry Christmas and Good Luck in the New Year" via postcard DE-2752397 from Germany. It also came with a wise quote "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams". Perfect for the New Year!

2014 IIHF World Championship in Minsk, Belarus

Postcard BY-1073799 from Belarus was one of the earliest Christmas themed cards that I received. It arrived in the mid November with Santa Claus playing ice hockey. It turns out that Minsk, the capital of Belarus, will host the 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship from May 9 to May 25, 2014. Good luck and Congratulations!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

US-2518598 to Germany

According to USA Today, UPS was overwhelmed by a large number of Christmas packages, many of which were delayed nation-wide and would not arrive until today.

On a different note, quite a few postcards I sent to Christmas, Florida to get their postmarks reached their destinations without any postmarks. Postcard US-2518598 to Germany was one of them. Tracking information shows the package that contained those cards was delivered to the Christmas, Florida on November 25, 2013. I had attached post-it notes on the cards to request cancellations. If the "Christmas, FL" postmarks were applied, they would have made great Maxi cards.

US-2521528 (left) and US-2518598 (right) with postmark request notes

Similarly, postcard US-2521528 to Belarus didn't get any postmarks for the stamps either on the front or on the back. However, it did score a Belarus postmark on arrival. Maybe the bar code on the bottom would tell where it had been and what happened.

US-2521528 to Belarus

A couple of cards from the same package did get a  machine cancellation.

So, for those who received my postcards without "Christmas" postmarks, I initially felt horrible because I promised something that was eventually not delivered in spite of extra money, time, and effort that I spent -- The Grinch literally stole the "Christmas" from the cards. The Grinch is a bitter, grouchy, cave-dwelling fictional character, created by Dr. Seuss, who stole Christmas presents and expected to cause bitterness and sorrows. But to his dismay, he still hear the singing joyous Christmas songs from people who lost presents. I was overwhelmed by recipients' comments that how much they like the cards, with or without the promised postmarks.

In the end, Christmas is more than presents; and a sincere greeting is more than a postmark. For those whose Christmas gifts are delayed, hope you are grateful when you eventually receive the package. Someone special is thinking of you, and the holidays are not over yet.

Greetings from Toronto

Postcard CA-393552 brought greetings from Toronto, Canada. Toronto usually has a Christmas Tree Lighting Fireworks at its City Hall on November 26. This year was no exception. You can watch the 2011 fireworks on YouTube.

Merry Christmas from North Pole, Alaska

I sent a postcard on November 15, 2013 to get a North Pole Holiday Cancellation. It came back today with a spray-on postmark generated by computer. I can understand that it is more efficient to process daily mails by printing postmarks using a high-speed ink-jet printer. But I am disappointed to see they are not using a more traditional stamp like other places do for the holiday mails. Especially you can hardly tell what that picture is. It is interesting to read what Josh Gerstein, staff reporter of the Sun (New York), wrote 'You've Got To Face It': The Postmark Is Going the Way of the Telegram on May 10, 2006.

For those who wish to get a North Pole Holiday Cancellation, please follow the steps from my previous blog.

Countdown to Christmas

I received Postcard FI-1935334 from Finland today, and it was my first Christmas card this year, if I didn't count the one I sent to myself to get a "Christmas, FL" postmark. It kicks off a countdown to Christmas and New Year.

Early today, I also send out some official PostCrossing postcards to get North Pole postmarks. To receive the North Pole postmark on your holiday mails, you should:

• Purchase stamps at any post office or online. 
• Affix the stamps to postcards or envelopes of your choice. 
• Address the stamped postcards or the sealed envelopes with the greeting cards enclosed, to those on your mailing list. 
• Mail them in a larger envelope, box, Priority Mail or Express Mail package to: 

NORTH POLE HOLIDAY CANCELLATION
POSTMASTER
4141 POSTMARK DR
ANCHORAGE AK 99530-9998

Make sure your package is received by December 10, 2013 in Anchorage to ensure Christmas delivery.

Merry Christmas from Christmas, Florida

Christmas is an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, with 1,146 residents as of 2010 census. Every year, people send a large amount of mails to its post office for re-mailing so that they can have the "Christmas" postmark on their holiday letters and postcards. You will need to address your mails and affix adequate USPS first class postage: US$ 1.10 for a one-oz international letter or postcard; US$ 0.46 for a one-oz domestic one-oz letter or a 5"x 7" postcard; UD$ 0.33 for a 4" x 6" postcard. Then put your mails into a large envelop with enough postage and send the envelop to: 

ATTN: For Re-Mailing

Postmaster

U.S. Post Office

23580 E Colonial DR

Christmas, FL 32709

I recently sent a package with a few postcards to Christmas, FL for re-mailing and already received the one addressed to myself. 

I have drove pass Christmas, Florida several times but didn't get to stop due to either in a rush or not in the season. The most recent drive-through was when I flew into Tampa from Las Vegas, then drove to Kennedy Space Center to see the final space shuttle launch on July 8, 2011. Although from a YouTube video there seems not much happening there, I wouldn't consider that a failure as suggested in the video if I had stopped by. Certainly, the postmarks are beautiful and will bring joys to those who received your mails.

Japanese Santa Claus

Japanese Santa Claus

My postcard US-2188415 to Switzerland arrived yesterday. The card shows a Japanese woman in Santa's costumes. It also marks the 250th cards sent from TWIMBK on PostCrossing. Now I can have 14 postcards traveling at once.