Christmas Forever Stamps are regular Forever postage with seasonal artwork. A genuine unused stamp from an older holiday issue remains valid for today’s one-ounce domestic letter price, which is $0.82 as of August 11, 2026.
You can therefore choose a design for its look without worrying that last year’s Christmas date makes the postage expire. You still need to weigh bulky cards and verify the seller.
To compare recent issues or identify an older subject, use the Forever Stamp designs by year guide.
Announced Christmas stamps for 2026
USPS has announced two Christmas issues:
- Christmas Cookies, scheduled for September 19, 2026, with four decorated-cookie designs.
- Madonna and Child, scheduled for October 2, 2026.
The same announcement lists Global Winter Wreath for September 18, Kwanzaa for September 23, and Hanukkah for September 29. USPS notes that dates and locations can change, so consult the official 2026 schedule before planning an order.
Can you use old Christmas Forever Stamps?
Yes. The Forever value follows the current one-ounce letter price rather than the issue year. The stamp must still be genuine, unused, and in usable condition. A discontinued design is not the same thing as expired postage.
Holiday cards that need more than one stamp
| Holiday mailpiece | Current amount |
|---|---|
| Eligible domestic card up to 1 oz | $0.82 |
| Eligible domestic card over 1 oz through 2 oz | $1.11 |
| Nonmachinable surcharge when applicable | +$0.49 |
| Eligible 1 oz international card or letter | $1.75 |
Photo cards, layered cardstock, musical components, thick inserts, and square envelopes deserve a finished-piece check. A card that feels “normal” in your hand may cross a weight or machinability boundary after every insert is added.
Design and delivery matter more during a deadline
The local review corpus contains 483 holiday or Christmas mentions. Most were positive, especially when buyers liked the artwork. Low-rated examples were more practical: the wrong year’s design arrived, a package missed the mailing window, or the buyer expected current physical stamps and received another product format.
These reviews do not measure USPS reliability. They do support a better buying checklist:
- confirm the exact pictured issue and denomination;
- count the number of physical stamps;
- compare checkout price with face value;
- order before the final mailing week;
- inspect the package as soon as it arrives.
How many Christmas stamps should you buy?
Count domestic cards, international cards, and potentially overweight cards separately. Add a modest reserve for damaged envelopes and address corrections. At $0.82 each, 20 regular Forever Stamps represent $16.40 in postage; 100 represent $82.00.
Buy seasonal postage safely
Holiday demand creates an opening for counterfeit offers. The Postal Inspection Service warns that deep discounts can signal fake postage. USPS or a USPS Approved Postal Provider is safer than trying to authenticate a marketplace image.
Last reviewed August 11, 2026. Announced release dates remain subject to change.
Continue with the right guide
- Using older holiday Forever Stamps
- Choose the right stamp quantity and format
- Avoid counterfeit holiday postage
- The complete Forever Stamps guide
Research note: MaxPob uses current postal sources, local search-question data, and anonymized aggregate themes from 12,101 public product reviews. Reviews help us identify confusing purchase and mailing situations; they do not establish USPS rules or authenticate a product. See the research methodology.
Primary topic: Forever Stamps. Start with Complete Forever Stamps guide.
