merry christmas!

Merry Christmas!

post secret christmas.

I love looking at postsecret.com every monday to start my week off and this week there were several mail themed ones that made me smile, so I wanted to share them with you!

Image from: postsecret.com

Image from: postsecret.com

Image from: postsecret.com

merry christmas mr. postman.

I was on the hunt for the perfect card to give my mailman this holiday season and Hallmark did not disappoint! This card I picked up was perfect and stated exactly how I felt! I left this card and a little gift (starbucks giftcard) to show my appreciation for all of his hard work all year long and especially during the holidays!

Do you do anything special for your mailman for the holidays?

hampton roads postal history.

"In December 1956, the Norfolk Recreation Bureau's Candy Cane Express Float made special trips to elementary schools in the city so first-and-second graders could personally mail their letters to Santa. The float, decorated with Christmas greens and candy canes, featured two specially designed Santa Claus mailboxes. Recreation staff workers acknowledged receipt of the letters with an answer to each participating class, written on authentic Santa Claus, North Pole letterhead." -The Virginian-Pilot 

love letters on broadway.

Image from: lovelettersbroadway.com

"No one forgets their first love...

Andrew Makepeace Ladd III wrote his first letter to Melissa Gardner to tell her she looked like a lost princess. They were both seven years old. For the next fifty years, through personal triumphs and despair, through wars and marriages and children and careers, they poured out the secrets of their hearts to each other. They defied a fate that schemed to keep them apart, and lived-through letters- for the one more meaningful thing, their undying love for each other." 

"In this digital age, letter writing may be the only private way of expressing ourselves." -Blogcritics.org

"Love Letters' Feels Fresh & Different." -Newsday

"A First-Class A.R. Gurney Play." -Daily News

I learned about this play yesterday and was so excited as I am heading to NYC in three weeks for a long weekend! I was sad when I saw the news that the show has ended early due to slow ticket sales. The last show for the Broadway play was December 14, 2014. 

The play has received great reviews and plans on doing a National Tour in the fall of 2015! I sure hope they do, as I will be first in line to purchase tickets. 

Follow Love Letters on Broadway to stay informed on the upcoming 2015 National Tour:

Instagram: instagram.com/LoveLettersBway

Facebook: facebook.com/LoveLettersBroadway
Twitter: twitter.com/LoveLettersBway

Image from: lovelettersbroadway.com

fun fact friday.

Fact:

The zip code in Schenectady, NY is 12345!

mail tag: christmas edition.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the Way!

Time to start thinking of getting those Christmas cards and letters out in the mail if you haven't already done so. (My christmas cards have been in the mail for a while now, but there is still plenty of time for me to send my lovely penpals Christmas letters).

Here are some Christmas/Holiday inspired "Mail Tag" questions for you to include in your next letter:

• Do you prefer to wrap your gifts in wrapping paper or gift bags?

• Real Tree vs. Fake Tree

• Christmas/Holiday Traditions?

• Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?

• Favorite gift you have ever received?

• Favorite Christmas song?

• Colored Lights vs. White Lights

• Do you kiss under the Mistletoe?

• Favorite Christmas Ornament? Why?

• What is your typical Christmas Dinner?

• Stockings hung by the chimney with care?

If you have any more questions you think would be good for a Christmas/Holiday Mail Tag, I would love to hear them!

received with love. christmas, fl edition.

I received two cards in the mail from Christmas, FL! I was very excited to get a few pieces with the special postmark on them since I was so excited sending them out!

A close up of the fun Holiday postmark from Christmas, FL! It was worth the trip down there to add that special little touch to my Christmas cards this year!

christmas, fl.

This year we spent Thanksgiving in Florida with my fantastic in-laws and while we were down there visiting I decided to send my Christmas cards from a little town called Christmas, Florida! After being in the car for 13 hours, the next morning we got up and drove another hour or so to Christmas.

I was so excited! We arrive at the post office and I jump out of the car with all of my Christmas cards in hand. It is a small little post office which just adds to its charm. 

Just inside the post office they have a Christmas Tree and a cute white mailbox for "Letters to Santa". From what I have read, it stays decorated like this year-round! I snapped a few photos with my mom and all of our cards. A man was checking is P.O. Box and was like "oh, no it's starting." We all got a laugh out of that.

We were so excited, we were next in line and I tell Gary, the man behind the counter, that we drove 13 hours and are so excited to have our Christmas cards postmarked from Christmas, FL this year. We then become defeated when he tells us that they don't start putting the special postmark on envelopes until December 1st! NOOO! My mom and I step out of line to discuss what we should do. I call Zach (he stayed in the car) to see if we could come back on Monday on our way back home. We decide thats a bad idea, as it is an hour out of our way. I ask Gary if they can hold the mail until Monday explaining how far we had driven and he told us that they were not allowed to do that. We decided to just leave the mail and suck it up as a loss. At least the cards would have their standard Christmas, FL postmark which was better than nothing.

Gary stamped a postcard for me with their standard postmark to keep.

Me, my Mom and my Mother In-Law standing outside of the Christmas, FL post office!

P.S.- This story does have a very exciting ending... On the way back to Mount Dora I decided to call the post office. Gary answered the phone, and I asked him just to verify that the postmark our cards would get was not going to be the Christmas one. (Everyone in the car is laughing so hard at this point!)  Gary said that the postmaster had just come in after we left and because we had traveled so far they would postmark our cards with the special Christmas, FL postmark!!! I was BEYOND excited! I thanked Gary a million times and let him know that he had made our day!

THANK YOU AGAIN GARY!

christmas cards.

I decided to decorate my envelopes for my Christmas cards this year since we were making a special trip to Christmas, FL to have them postmarked. (Blog post about Christmas, FL coming Monday!)

It was a good time to practice my hand lettering skills too!

I also picked up these adorable stickers at Michaels to put on my envelopes!

stamps: wilt chamberlain

Image from: uspsstamps.com

This year, the U.S. Postal Service® celebrates the life of basketball superstar Wilt Chamberlain (1936-1999). On the court, he was a force of nature. The 7-foot-1-inch center dominated the NBA for more than a decade, setting a plethora of individual records. As a pro, he led his teams to two NBA championships, and in 1962 he scored an NBA record 100 points in a single game.

The Wilt Chamberlain stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps.

You can read more about the Wilt Chamberlain stamps here.

received with love.

I have been slacking on taking photos of my sent and received mail lately, but wanted to share this cute mail tag I received from one of my penpals. I asked her to describe what her post office looked like and she sent me this cute little drawing! 

I like to see where my penpals send and receive their mail from! 

So be on the lookout penpals for this mail tag question coming your way!

get it there on time.

Don't let your letters and packages miss Christmas, send them out by these dates:

DECEMBER 15
Standard Post
For larger packages (up to 130") that aren't urgent; delivers to most locations in 2-8 business days.

DECEMBER 20
First Class Mail
For envelopes and packages weighing up to 13 oz.; delivers to most locations in 1-3 business days

DECEMBER 20
Priority Mail
Flat-rate pricing options for packages and envelopes; delivers to most locations in 1, 2, or 3 business days

DECEMBER 23
Priority Express Mail
Flat-rate pricing options for packages and envelopes; delivers to most locations overnight