Santa Claus postmark chosen for 2012 Christmas season - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

The Santa Claus, Indiana, Post Office has selected the 2012 special picture postmark for this Christmas season. The post office is offering the picture postmark to cancel the postage stamps on holiday mail in December 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. During the rest of the year, only 13,000 pieces of mail are processed each month. 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 winner is Cassie Fischer, daughter of Rodney and Gail Fischer from Santa Claus, Indiana. A 2012 graduate of Heritage Hills High School, Cassie attends Indiana University Southeast to study graphic design.

"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."

She asks that anyone interested in getting the special cancellation on their holiday mail to follow these guidelines:

•    Allow at least a 2-inch by 4-inch space in the stamp area for the picture postmark;
•    Apply postage 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;
•    To ensure a good postmark imprint, do not enclose large or bulky items in your holiday mail (Ex: reindeer food, snowflakes, glitter, stickers, etc.);
•    There is no charge for postmarking; however, there is a limit of 50 picture postmarks (hand cancellations) per person per day.

America's Christmas Hometown: Santa Claus, Indiana, will host a celebration of family fun on the first three weekends of December. Events include a traditional Christmas Dinner with Santa; Santa Claus Land of Lights, a 1.2-mile drive through Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort; Santa Claus Arts & Crafts; Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire; and more.

For more information about the Santa Claus Christmas Celebration, call (888) 444-9252 or click here. visit . Also, find Santa Claus, Indiana, on the Visitor Bureau's free app for iPhones and Androids by searching "Holiday World & More!" and on any mobile device here.