News Release: Spencer County Unique Holiday Postmark Available December 1 SANTA CLAUS, IN-----Looking for something to make your holiday cards stand out from the pile inside the mailbox? Send them to Santa Claus! The Santa Claus, Indiana, Post Office will again offer a unique “picture postmark” to cancel postage stamps on holiday mail this year. Each year’s unique postmark is designed by a local high school art student as part of an annual contest. This year’s winner is Abby Wilmes, daughter of Cheryl Wilmes and the late Larry Wilmes. Wilmes, a member of the Heritage Hills Class of 2009, just started attending University of Indianapolis and is majoring in Psychology and Pre-Occupational Therapy. She hopes to become an occupational therapist one day. “The Santa Claus holiday postmark has become the most popular in the nation over the past two decades,” says Postmaster Marian Balbach. “Postal patrons world-wide request the picture postmark each year and many customers traditionally drive hundreds of miles to personally obtain the famous cancellation on their holiday mail,” says Balbach. She asks that anyone interested in having the unique cancellation on their holiday mail to please follow these guidelines: · Allow at least a 2-inch by 4-inch space in the stamp area for the picture postmark; · Have postage applied 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; · In order to ensure a good postmark imprint please do not enclose large or bulky items in your holiday mail (Ex: reindeer food, snow flakes, glitter, stickers…etc.); · There is no charge for postmarking—however there is a limit of 50 picture postmarks (hand cancellations) per person per day. Between November 15 and December 20, Postmaster Balbach expects 500,000 pieces of mail to come through her post office. During the rest of the year, just 13,000 pieces of mail are processed each month. “We do more than that each day during the Christmas season,” she says. A unique picture postmark has been offered at the Santa Claus Post Office each holiday season since 1983. This Southern Indiana post office is the only one in the world with the Santa Claus name.