Holidays

Topical Reference Page
4 cent Christmas 1962 stamp with two candles and a wreath with a red bow
13-cent Copley "Nativity" single
About U.S. Stamps - 1976 Christmas Issue
Exhibition
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13-cent Valley Forge single
About U.S. Stamps - 1977 Christmas Issue
Exhibition
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15-cent Madonna and Child single
About U.S. Stamps - 1980 Christmas Issue
Exhibition
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2-cent Arbor Day boy and girl planting a tree single
About U.S. Stamps - Arbor Day Issue
Exhibition
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'Christmas Overseas 1918' postcard with an illustration of several troops looking through packages
Christmas 1918
Exhibition

Over two million American military service men and women were stationed in Europe when the declaration of Armistice on November 11, 1918 effectively ended World War I. The deployed service personnel of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) transitioned from combat readiness, advanced to occupy Germany and began preparations to demobilize. Many, who had hoped to return home to the United States by Christmas 1918 could not, but with the help of the Red Cross, military and postal officials already had plans to deliver Christmas by mail.

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33-cent Cinco de Mayo stamp
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage - Cinco de Mayo
Exhibition
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Day of the Dead: Boy's Skull Forever stamp
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage - Day of the Dead
Exhibition
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13-cent Declaration of Independence strip of four
About U.S. Stamps - Declaration of Independence Issue
Exhibition
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3-cent Mothers of America Issue stamp featuring Whistler's Mother
American Art on Postage Stamps - FDR and Mother's Day
Exhibition
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37-cent Modern Hand Fan stamp
Long May It Wave - Flag Day
Exhibition
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32-cent Kwanzaa stamp
The Black Experience - Heritage: Kwanzaa
Exhibition
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50-cent stamp featuring Norman Rockwell's Freedom From Want painting
Memory Book - Holiday-Related
Exhibition
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Related Blogs

Image of 19th century valentine card. The red paper is embellished with gold embossing and white lace styling. In the center, an
America’s Valentine
02.13.2021

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is a familiar holiday in America and arrives each February with a flourish of red and pink hues punctuated by decadent expressions of love. Learn more about the holiday’s humble origins, and how an enterprising young woman in the mid-nineteenth century ignited America’s attraction to Valentine’s Day cards – in all their heart-laden, lacy glory. 

Learn more About America’s Valentine

Young child selects postage stamps from a plastic bin
A Weekend of Holiday Cheer and Handmade Cards
02.03.2020

A lively photo post recapping the 2019 Annual Holiday Card Workshop, a public program beloved by visitors and staff alike!

 

Learn more About A Weekend of Holiday Cheer and Handmade Cards

Passengers posing in front of an airplane, about to enjoy the first flying Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving in the Air
11.22.2018

On November 28, 1918, a group of aviation fans and the Superintendent of the US Airmail Service held the first Thanksgiving dinner on board an airplane. At 1 p.m., the group took off in a three-ton Handley Page bomber that had been transferred to the Post Office Department. The plane, which was intended for use carrying mail on the upcoming New York and Chicago route, instead carried a group of men and a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

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American Red Cross postcard depicts Christmas packages for the AEF in 1918.
Holiday Parcels in World War I
12.20.2017

One of the most frequent questions I get asked as a curator is about care packages, namely, what did family and friends send to each other during one time period or another? The curiosity is understandable—who among us doesn’t want to peek inside the mail?

Learn more About Holiday Parcels in World War I

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Collection Objects

a colorful 32-cent Hanukkah stamp

Holiday Celebrations Series Stamps

The “Holiday Celebrations Series” was begun in 1996 to reflect a different cultural or ethnic holiday each year. The first stamp in the series was the Hanukkah stamp on October 22, 1996.

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