It’s fun during the holidays to pick out just the right Christmas cards or create your own holiday photo cards. But once you stick these carefully selected greetings in an envelope, all cards pretty much look the same – like boring rectangles of paper.

The US Postal Service found a way to liven up our holiday mail years again when they issued the first Christmas stamp, and today you can still count on the USPS to release holiday-themed postage every winter. But now you no longer have to wait for the post office to get festive postage for your mail.

Today you can create your own personalized USPS stamps or buy some of the many designs available on sites such as Zazzle. This North Pole stamp is a great example of what’s available.

This stamp shows Santa’s workshop at the North Pole surrounded by snow and trees. Use it to liven up your Christmas cards and letters or add another touch of magic to a Santa letter.

You can add even more fun by getting an official North Pole postmark from North Pole, AK.

I bought Ideas for Writing Creative Christmas Letters That People Are Actually Eager to Read by Janet Colbrunn based on the title alone because I wanted some inspiration for my annual holiday updates. Unfortunately, the book’s publisher must not have provided a description for bookstores because neither Amazon or Barnes and Noble has any details on the book. That’s a shame because it’s well worth the money if you’re looking for creative Christmas letter ideas.

The book’s website says, “You can quickly learn to transform a traditional letter into one that is so entertaining that even the busiest holiday reveler can’t lay it aside.” In fact, I enjoyed reading all of the sample letters inside the book, despite the fact that I don’t know the author or her family. Colbrunn’s creative examples prove that holiday letters don’t have to be boring or bragging.

The author doesn’t just give a list of ideas. She gives real examples of actual letters she has sent over the years, from the 1988 Diary letter to the 2005 End of Year Statistics letter and many in between.

Personally, I really enjoyed the 1995 Monopoly-like trivia game, which included a game board with squares around the outside with answers such as “Surprise Un-Birthday Party” and trivia cards you had to match up, such as “Stick around longer at Cousin Corrie’s and Christy’s graduation party and it magically turns into Grandma Chamber’s 75th Surprise Birthday Party…” (At least, I think that was the card that went with that square. There’s no cheat sheet in the book!)

I also enjoyed the very creative Christmas letter that was a compilation of fake letters to Santa and the “2003 by the Numbers” letter that included info such as:

3 times we visited the Toledo Zoo with friends and family. The kids liked the monkeys best
30 toddler teeth brushed at the beginning of the year
60 toddler teeth brushed at the end of the year
98 hours per week that Jen works as a full-time triplet mom

The book inlcudes a brief explanation of each creative Christmas letter and then offers work space for you to make notes for your own version of each one. Some of the other examples you’ll find inside:

- List letters to highlight your family news as top 10 TV shows or best selling books.
- Format letters to disguise your update as a crossword puzzle or a board game. (Both very fun!)
- Perspective letters that appear to be written by the baby, the family pet or a guardian angel.

There’s something in here for everyone. After reading Ideas for Writing Creative Christmas Letters That People Are Actually Eager to Read, you will almost assuredly find at least one creative Christmas letter idea you can use for your own holiday updates. Have fun!

More links:
Creative Christmas Letter Ideas

How to Write Christmas Letters People Will Actually Enjoy Reading

(This article originally appeared on HubPages: Review: Ideas for Writing Creative Christmas Letters by Janet Colbrunn)

One of the busiest U.S. post offices during the holidays is the one in Santa Claus, Indiana. The only post office in the world named after Santa Claus post helps keep ol’ Kris Kringle’s magic alive by offering special “picture postmarks” during December.

The city has been offering a picture postmark every year since 1983. Each year’s unique postmark is designed by a local high school art student as part of an annual contest.

“The holiday postmark has become one of the most popular in the nation over the past two decades,” said Santa Claus Postmaster Marian Balbach in a 2008 USPS press release. “Postal patrons world-wide request the picture postmark. Also, many customers traditionally drive hundreds of miles to personally obtain the cancellation on their holiday mail.”

In 2008, the Santa Claus post office expected half a million pieces of mail to come through the office between November 15 and December 20. During the rest of the year, the post office processes only about 13,000 pieces of mail per month.

The postmaster offers these guidelines for individuals interested in getting a Santa postmark:

- Allow at least a two-inch by four-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;
- The picture postmark is only available during the month of December;
- In order to ensure a good postmark imprint please do not enclose large or bulky items in your holiday mail (i.e.; 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.

Customers who wish to have the Santa Claus Post Office mail Christmas cards should package them—with postage stamps affixed—in a sturdy envelope or box, and mail to:

Santa Claus Postmark
Postmaster
Santa Claus Station
Santa Claus, IN 47579-9998

Make sure you send your envelopes early. The post office should receive them no later than December 15 to ensure delivery to your recipients by Christmas.

Instaletter is a new service that lets you create printable Christmas letters from Santa (as well as the Easter Bunny, Cupid and soon the Tooth Fairy) and customize both the text and art with simple drag-and-drop simplicity. It’s easy enough for anyone to use.

The best part about the service is that you can create as many letters as you like with your annual membership, which is just $14.99 for a whole year. So if you’ve got two or more kids, nieces, nephews, or grandkids, you can create Christmas letters from Santa Claus for all of them for one low price.

Instaletter makes it easy to customize both the text and the artwork. First they give you several types of letters from which to choose, such as letters for kids who made Santa’s good list or just visited Santa. Then you can select up to three types of text customization to add to the letter (friends’ names, accomplishments, hometown, etc), and see a preview of how it will look in the final letter.

Once you’re happy with the text, you can choose from a variety of Christmas backgrounds for your letter. You can even add to the background artwork by dragging and dropping images of Santa, elves, reindeer, Christmas trees and more. It’s easy to create just the look you want. The quality of the artwork is great, and you can also create an envelope to go along with the letter.

If you’re looking for a truly customized Christmas letter from Santa, try Instaletter.

Americans send more than 2 billion greeting cards during the holidays, and many of them are adorned with special Christmas postage stamps issued by the US Postal Service just for the occasion. But holiday stamps haven’t always been around. The first Christmas stamp in the United States was released in 1962, the first Hanukkah stamp was released in 1996, and the first Kwanzaa stamp was released in 1997.

So how did this tradition get started? Canada is widely credited with issuing the first Christmas stamp. In December 1898, Canada issued a 2-cent stamp celebrating the introduction of imperial penny postage and inscribed with the words “XMAS 1898.” But it wasn’t really released to celebrate the holidays. Rather, the Xmas inscription came about quite accidentally. Postmaster William Mulock commented to Queen Victoria that the stamp should be released in November “to honor the Prince” (i.e., the Prince of Wales, who was born in November). But when he could see she was not at all pleased with the idea and asked which prince he was referring to, Mulock replied, “Why, the Prince of Peace, ma’am”. Hence, when the stamp was issued in December, it bore not only the image of a world map, but also the words “XMAS 1898″ at the bottom.

A few other countries issued some type of Christmas stamp in the 1930s and ’40s (some without holiday images and some to raise money for a specific cause), but it wasn’t until 1943 that Hungary issued the first Christmas-themed stamp that was sold specifically as a holiday stamp to be used on seasonal mailings.

The United States didn’t issue its first Christmas stamp until 1962. It was a 4-cent stamp that featured a wreath, two candles, and the words “Christmas 1962″. Earlier stamps that had conveyed a holiday spirit had proved popular during the holidays in previous years, such as the 1958 Forest Conservation stamp showing a deer in a clearing in the woods and the 1960 stamp showing a stylized green tree resembling a fir, commemorating the 5th World Forest Congress. So the post office was anticipating a large interest in the first Christmas stamp. They ordered 350 million copies, the largest number ever produced up until that time for a special stamp. But it wasn’t enough. When the initial supply ran out, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing had to work around the clock to meet the demand. By the end of the 1962 holiday season, one billion of the first Christmas stamps were sold.

The US Postal Service has issued new Christmas stamps every year since then, and now it’s also possible to create your own personalized USPS stamps for the holidays with online services that make it easy to use your own photos and images.

Creating your own personalized Christmas cards is easy these days, thanks to sites such as Astonishing Cards, Shutterfly, Moo.com and others that let you choose a card design, upload your own photo, and select your own greeting. But sometimes that big blank space inside the card can be intimidating. If you’re paralyzed by the white space inside the card and need some help getting past your writer’s block, here are some Christmas card greetings you can use for your holiday cards and letters.

1. May peace, love and prosperity be your gift this holiday season and throughout the year.

2. Merry Christmas and warm wishes for a wonderful New Year.

3. The gift of love. The gift of peace. The gift of happiness. May all these be yours at Christmas

4. May God fill your life with love, joy and peace this Christmas season and throughout the New Year.

5. Sending you warm wishes for the holidays and for health, happiness and prosperity throughout the year.

6. Warmest wishes for a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year.

7. May joy, faith and love be your gifts at Christmas and your treasures in the coming year.

8. Wishing you and your loved ones peace, joy and prosperity during the holidays and throughout the year.

9. May all the blessings of Christmas be with you today and always.

10. Wishing you the special gifts of this holiday season – peace, joy and lasting happiness.

11. Warmest thoughts and best wishes for a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year.

12. May the wonder of that first Christmas be with you always.

13. God bless you at Christmas and always.

14. May your heart and home be filled with the true spirit of Christmas today and always.

15. Wishing you many blessings this Christmas season.

16. May God’s love surround you at Christmas time and throughout the year.

17. May the wonder and glory of that first Christmas Day fill your life with love and hope this holiday season and always.

18. Warmest wishes for a wonderful Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

19. Wishing you the gift of faith, the blessing of hope and the peace of God’s love at Christmas and always.

20. May the holiday season bring you much joy and happiness to you and your loved ones.

21. May the joy and peace of Christmas fill you now and throughout the year.

22. Merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy new year.

23. Wishing you happy holidays and best wishes for the New Year.

24. Sending you season’s greetings and good wishes throughout the year.

25. May the spirit of the season fill your home with peace, your heart with love and your life with happiness.