Holidays

On January 26, 1973, the USPS issued its first Love stamp. It was years before the next Love stamp was issued and even longer before the USPS officially declared it a series.

On December 30, 1992, the USPS issued its first Chinese New Year stamp, honoring the start of the Year of the Rooster. The stamp proved popular and led to three different series honoring the holiday.

On December 12, 2002, the US first celebrated National Poinsettia Day, honoring two of the men who helped make these festive plants popular in the US – Joel Roberts Poinsett and Paul Ecke, Jr.

On December 7, 1907, the first Christmas Seals went on sale. The first stamps were created to help save a Delaware tuberculosis sanitarium, but later issues went on to support the Red Cross, National Tuberculosis Association, and American Lung Association.

On November 1, 1962, the US Post Office issued its first-ever Christmas stamp, starting a popular tradition that continues to this day.

On April 10, 1872, the first Arbor Day was held in Nebraska. Later moved to April 22 to celebrate the holiday’s founder, more than 200 million trees have been planted by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

On February 14, 1998, the first National Donor Day was held in the US. The annual event is held to raise awareness of the need for organ and tissue donations and to honor those who have donated, those who have received donations, and those we lost before donations became available.

On February 2, 1887, the first official Groundhog Day event was held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.  However, the tradition dates back much further to the Christian holiday known as Candlemas, and likely even further to the pre-Christian Celtic holiday of Imbolc.

This year, January 22, 2023, marks the start of the Year of the Rabbit on the Chinese calendar.  The New Year celebration – also known as the Spring Festival – is the most important holiday in Chinese culture.