From Valentine, With Love
While children get to have special mail that’s postmarked from the North Pole, lovers can look forward to sending their sweetheart a valentine postmarked and stamped from Valentine (Texas, that is)? More than a dozen post offices across the United States –– including Valentine, Texas –– offer special postmarks for the lovely occasion, to help impress your loved ones. This special touch is easy as pie to achieve, and the effort could yield priceless benefits.
Simply place your pre-stamped and addressed valentine(s) in a Priority or Express Mail envelope or box and mail it to:
Postmaster: Maria Carrasco
Valentine Re-mailing
Valentine, TX 79854
Once received, each outgoing letter/package will receive a special Valentine cancellation stamp and will be mailed off to recipients. High school students compete each year in a contest to determine the year’s cancellation stamp.
Sending it off sooner is better, of course, but it is suggested that the package to be re-mailed should be received in Valentine by Feb. 10 to help ensure a Feb. 14 delivery. If you’re a procrastinator, take note that you might be in the last-minute bag with other procrastinators. According to the USPS, Valentine’s Love Station hand-stamped a record 39,000 pieces of mail from across the globe with the Valentine postmark in 1994. On average, the postmaster handles approximately 100 cards and letters a day. Two weeks before Valentine’s Day, that number jumps to as much as 2,000 a day.
Visit www.usps.com to get ZIP codes for other cities offering a special postmarking, such as Heart Butte, Mont.; Loveland, Colo.; Loveville, Md.; Loving, N. Mex.; Romance, Ariz.; Romeo, Mich.; Juliet, Ga.; Bliss, N.Y.; Sugar City, Colo.; and Valentine in Nebraska or Virginia.