The Santa Claus, Indiana, Post Office has selected the 2017 special picture postmark for the upcoming holiday season.
On Friday, December 1, the post office will begin offering the picture postmark to cancel the postage stamps on holiday mail again this year.
This famous small-town post office is the only one in the world with the Santa Claus name and receives over 400,000 pieces of mail in December – compared to only 13,000 pieces of mail per month the rest of the year. This special picture postmark has been offered every Christmas season since 1983.
Each year, the holiday postmark is designed by a local high school art student as part of an annual contest.
This year’s artist is Audrey Vaal, daughter of Rodney and Agnes Vaal of St. Meinrad, Indiana. During her time at Heritage Hills High School, Audrey was involved in art, choir, Beta Club, National Honor Society, dance, and Spencer County 4-H. Audrey is in her freshman year at the University of Southern Indiana to study elementary education, with an emphasis in social studies.
“The Santa Claus holiday postmark has become the most popular in the nation over the past two decades,” says Postmaster Marian Balbach. “Postal patrons worldwide request the picture postmark each year and many customers traditionally drive hundreds of miles to personally obtain the famous cancellation on their holiday mail.”