Beloved Holiday Nutcrackers Decorate Seasonal Stamps

MACtac® supplies pressure-sensitive adhesive label materials for the Holiday Nutcrackers stamp

From the Russian ballet to German wood carvings to Western holiday decorations, nutcrackers have made their way around the world serving both functional and ornamental roles throughout the year. During this holiday season, nutcrackers will return to households across the nation with the release of the new Holiday Nutcrackers commemorative 42-cent, first-class stamps issued by the United States Postal Service (USPS). MACtac® supplied the pressure-sensitive adhesive label materials for the nearly 1.5 billion stamps printed.

The Holiday Nutcracker stamps feature four nutcracker designs, including a Santa with a lantern and staff, a king with a jewel-topped crown, a military captain in uniform and a drummer complete with a red drum and mallets. Custom-designed for USPS, the four nutcrackers were created by Glenn A. Crider, T.R.C. Designs Inc., of Mechanicsville, Va., who based the designs off of notes and drawings by Sally Andersen-Bruce of New Milford, Conn.

“Nutcrackers have served the functional purpose of splitting nutshells since the third and fourth century B.C., and it wasn’t until the 1400’s that their original design of bronze and iron adapted into the hand-carved and elaborately painted wooden figures primarily used for decoration today,” said Allison Hazel, marketing manager, MACtac Printing Products. “Supplying the labelstock for the Holiday Nutcracker stamps allows MACtac to not only contribute to another aspect of the nutcrackers’ role during the holidays but assist in the busiest card-sending time of the year.”

The Holiday Nutcracker stamp is one of five holiday stamps issued by the United States Post Office this year. The Holiday Nutcracker commemorative stamps are currently available online at www.usps.com/shop, by phone at 800-STAMP-24 and at local post offices.

MACtac has been a qualified supplier for USPS stamps for more than five years, providing materials for a number of pressure sensitive stamps, including “Star Wars,” “Forever,” “Flags of Our Nation,” “Olympic Games” and “Valley of the Yosemite.” For more information about MACtac Roll Label, please call 800.255.9733 or fax 330.688.2194.