A Visit from St. Nick (US 2021)

Late overnight change in location for the first day ceremony. Details here.

Announced May 14th:

Four new designs in this booklet of 20 stamps tell the story of Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve.

In the first stamp, Santa stands on a snowy rooftop, sack slung across his back, with one leg inside the red-brick chimney; the second stamp shows Santa as he descends through the chimney, his legs dangling over the hearth; the third stamp is a close-up of a winking Santa; and the fourth stamp shows Santa in his sleigh, with four reindeer visible as they fly across the face of the full moon and into a starlit sky.

Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps with original art by Brad Woodard.

These stamps will be issued October 7th in Santa Claus, Indiana.

Further details will be posted below the large illustration, with the most recent news at the top.


Updated December 6th:
The Scott catalogue numbers for this issue are:

  • 5644 Santa Claus on Roof
  • 5645 Santa Claus in Fireplace
  • 5646 Head of Santa Claus
  • 5647 Santa Claus, Sleigh and Reindeer in Flight
  • a. Block of 4, #5644-5647
  • b. Convertible booklet pane of 20, 5 each #5644-5647

Updated October 14th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue: The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.99″ x 1.08″ The B&W pictorial postmark measures 2.36″ x 1.38″

Updated October 7th:
[press release]
Change of Venue
Visit From St. Nick Forever Stamp Dedication

Due to weather conditions, the event has moved to
The Celebration Room of Santa’s Lodge
91 W. Christmas Blvd.
Santa Claus, IN 47579

Updated September 8th:
[ceremony details]
New Stamps Celebrate the Holidays With a Visit From St. Nick

WHAT: Every Christmas, children all around the world dream of a visit from St. Nick. The U.S. Postal Service celebrates that highly anticipated event with four new stamps, sold in booklets of 20.

The first-day-of-issue event for A Visit From St. Nick Forever stamps is free and open to the public. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtags #VisitfromStNickStamps and #USPSHolidayStamps.

WHO: Scott Bombaugh, vice president, chief technology officer, U.S. Postal Service, will serve as dedicating official.

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021, at 11 a.m. CDT

WHERE: United States Post Office
45 N. Kringle Place
Santa Claus, IN 47579

RSVP: Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at: usps.com/visitfromstnick.

BACKGROUND: St. Nick — Santa Claus — is one of our most recognized and beloved cultural icons, his jolly laugh and smiling eyes a happy reminder that Christmas is near.
European immigrants brought to their new country folk characters that over the years became our present-day Santa Claus.

A Visit from St. Nick stamps feature four festive, vividly colored designs that evoke the story of Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve.

In the first stamp, Santa stands on a snowy rooftop against a star-filled, pink-hued sky, his sack slung across his back and one leg inside the red-brick chimney.

The next stamp shows Santa as he descends through the chimney, his legs dangling over the hearth, clad in black boots and his trademark fur-trimmed suit. A log sits in the grate of the red-brick fireplace, while three green stockings, with white toes and heels, hang on the mantel.

The third stamp is a close-up of a winking Santa set against a green background.

The fourth shows Santa in his sleigh, with four reindeer visible, as they fly across the face of the full moon in a dark, starlit sky.

Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps with original art by Brad Woodard.

The A Visit from St. Nick stamps are being issued as Forever stamps. These Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Updated August 28th from the Postal Bulletin:

On October 7, 2021, in Santa Claus, IN, the United States Postal Service® will issue A Visit from St. Nick stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in four designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stamps (Item 683400). These stamps will go on sale nationwide October 7, 2021, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.

Four new designs in this booklet of 20 stamps tell the story of Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve:

  • Santa stands on a snowy rooftop, sack slung across his back, with one leg inside the red-brick chimney;
  • Santa descends through the chimney, his legs dangling over the hearth;
  • Close-up view of a winking Santa; and
  • Santa in his sleigh, with four reindeer visible as they fly across the face of the full moon and into a starlit sky.

Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps with original art by Brad Woodard.

No automatic distribution.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store® website at usps.com/shop.They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

FDOI – A Visit from St. Nick Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service™ will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by February 7, 2022.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: A Visit from St. Nick Stamps
Item Number: 683400
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Double-sided Booklet of 20 (4 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: October 7, 2021, Santa Claus, IN 47579
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Illustrator: Brad Woodard, Manchaca, TX
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Booklet: 20
Print Quantity: 400,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.77 x 1.05 in./19.558 x 26.67 mm
Stamp Size (w x h): 0.91 x 1.19 in./23.114 x 30.226 mm
Full Booklet Size (w x h): 5.76 x 2.38 in./146.304 x 60.452 mm
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
Plate Size: 880 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “P” followed by four (4) single digits in four corners
Marginal Markings: Header: “A Visit From St. Nick” Twenty First-Class Forever Stamps • Plate number in peel strip area • ©2021 USPS in peel strip area • Barcode • Promotional text in peel strip area

One thought on “A Visit from St. Nick (US 2021)

  1. From Post Bull 26 AUG USPS# 6834xx BK-20 Not on Auto-distrib. DCP and PIC Santa Claus IN Rate Change now 58 cents BK-20 $11.60

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