By now you know that I love traditions.

Often I have suggested that you make your own traditions or follow those your family has practiced over the years.

Last week I talked about some of the Christmas music traditions. There are so many activities connected with this holiday season that it is hard to just select one or two to write about. But here is one that we probably don’t think of as a tradition.

The Christmas postage stamp was first printed in 1962. The U.S. Post Office Department issued the first of a series of stamps. The department had 350 million printed — the largest number produced for a special stamp until that time. The red and green four-cent stamps featured a wreath, two candles, and the words “Christmas 1962.” The initial supply sold out quickly and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing began working around-the-clock to print more. By the end of 1962, one billion stamps had been printed and distributed.

Legal actions to bar the stamps were not successful as some were concerned with the separation of church and state. Thousands of suggestions for new postage stamps are received every year. The Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee was established in 1957 to review the suggestions and recommend designs to the Postmaster.

Stamps cel-ebrate the rich diversity of American culture and recognize that some individuals may disagree with its selections on occasion. However, a wide variety of stamps are available so that postal customers always have options.

Each year, the Postal Service issues a Holiday Contemporary and Holiday Traditional postage stamp. This year, the Holiday Contemporary is the Charlie Brown Christmas Forever stamp, which features 10 different pictures highlighting the story of Charlie Brown and Christmas. The TV presentation of Charlie Brown’s Christmas was shown in December 1965 and has become a beloved part of the holidays, with the story broadcast every year.

The Holiday Traditional Stamp is the Holy Family Forever stamp. The Holy Family stamp celebrates Christmas with a scene from the Nativity story that reminds us of the joys of the season: family, Madonna and Child, and the birth of Jesus.

In 1996, the Postal Service paid tribute to Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, by issuing the first Hanukkah stamp, which featured a stylized illustration of a menorah. This season, the Postal Service will continue selling the 2015 Hanukkah stamp, the third U.S. stamp to commemorate the holiday.

In 1997, the Postal Service paid tribute to Kwanzaa, the celebration of family, community and culture, by issuing the first Kwanzaa stamp, which featured a portrait of an African-American family, a “symbol of family and togetherness.” This season, the Postal Service will continue selling the Kwanzaa stamp, the third U.S. stamp to commemorate the holiday.

In 2001, the Postal Service paid tribute to Eid, by issuing the Eidstamp, which features the phrase “Eid Mubarak” — meaning “blessed festival” — in gold Arabic script on a blue background. The stamp commemorates the two most important festivals on the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The stamp has been reissued in the original design to reflect current stamp prices.

It was not until 1847 that the first official U.S. stamps were issued: 5- and 10-cent issues depicted Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.

When the first postage stamps were issued in the 1840s, they followed an almost identical standard in shape, size and general subject matter. They were rectangular in shape. They bore the images of queens, presidents and other political figures. They also depicted the denomination of the postage-paid. Nearly all-early postage stamps depict images of national leaders only. Soon after the introduction of the postage stamp, other subjects and designs began to appear. Some designs were welcome, while others widely criticized. For example, in 1869, the U.S. Post Office broke tradition of depicting presidents or other famous historical figures, instead using other subjects including a train, and horse. The change was greeted with general disapproval, and sometimes-harsh criticism from the American public.

Perforations are small holes made between individual postage stamps on a sheet of stamps, facilitating separation of a desired number of stamps. The resulting frame-like, rippled edge surrounding the separated stamp defines a characteristic for the appearance of a postage stamp. The subjects found on the face of postage stamps are generally what defines a particular stamp issue to the public and are often a reason why they are saved by collectors or history enthusiasts. Graphical subjects found on postage stamps have ranged from the early portrayals of kings, queens and presidents to later depictions of ships, birds and satellites,] historical events, comics, dinosaurs, hobbies (knitting, stamp collecting), sports, holiday themes and a wealth of other subjects too numerous to list.

Be sure to look at those stamps that come to you through the postal system. Soon many of the stamps will be personalized. It is possible now to print your own stamps on your computer and save you the trip to standing in line at the post office.

Yes I have a computer. Will I be printing my own stamps? No! I like the feel, the smell and the camaraderie when I go to the Post Office to buy my stamps. As a young girl I had a stamp collection and I always loved getting mail, cutting and saving the stamps.

Let’s keep the stamp tradition going. I know people who not only save the stamps but the cards and envelopes.

There I draw the line.

 

JoAnn Boepple works at the Edwardsburg Area History Museum.