2008 USPS Holiday Stamps - The Nutcrackers

The U.S. Postal Service dedicates the Holiday Nutcrackers commemorative stamps Thursday, October 23, 2008 during the Fall Postage Stamp Mega Event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Four eye-catching nutcracker designs are featured on the stamps. Santa or “Father Christmas” has a lantern in one hand and a snowflake-topped staff in the other. There is a gold and ruby-crowned king, a yellow-jacketed military captain, and a green-garbed drummer with a red drum.

These nutcrackers were custom-made for the U.S. Postal Service by Glenn A. Crider of T.R.C. Designs, Inc., of Mechanicsville, Virginia. Crider based the characters on sketches and notes provided by Sally Andersen-Bruce of New Milford, Connecticut, who later photographed the completed nutcrackers for the stamps. The art director for the 2008 Holiday Nutcracker stamps was Derry Noyes of Washington, D.C.

In addition to the Holiday Nutcrackers stamps, four additional holiday stamps will be available nationwide as well: Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist stamp was also issued today; Eid, the Muslim Holiday stamp was issued Sept. 23; Kwanzaa, the celebration of family, community and culture; and Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, stamps will be issued Oct. 24.

The Postal Service printed 2.171 billion holiday stamps: 1.486 billion Holiday Nutcrackers, 600 million Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist, 25 million Eid, 35 million Kwanzaa and 25 million Hanukkah.

The 42-cent Holiday Nutcrackers stamps go on sale nationwide in late October 2008.