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.

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.

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.

Systems at Work

During my trip to Washington D.C., I managed a brief late afternoon visit to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum near the Union Station. The museum was established through a joint agreement between the United States Postal Service and the Smithsonian Institution. It opened in 1993. The building housing the museum was constructed in 1914 and had served as the Main Post Office of Washington D.C. until 1986.

Although the museum is small when compared to its Smithsonian cousins, it houses many interactive displays about the history of the United States Postal Service, and the history of mail service and stamp collections around the world. Among them, "Systems at Work" leads visitors through 10 different periods and reveals the evolution of the postal system in the U.S. over time. You can participate simulated postal activities by tossing packages into mail pouches as mail clerks did in 1917, keying letters on a computerized version of a multiple position letter-sorting machine operated in 1968, or scanning barcodes using handheld intelligent mail devices.

My favorite part was to gather cancellation marks from various eras on a postcard.

The admission is free. For those who can't attend in person, you can visit the online version on the web.