First Day of Issue: Winter Whimsy

Celebrating the stunning symmetry of snowflakes as fall departs and winter begins, the U.S. Postal Service issues the Winter Whimsy stamps. With four intricate designs evoking winter flurries, there’s magic in the air and on seasonal cards and letters.

Each Forever stamp in the block of four includes a design in white, contrasted against a solid color background — navy blue, teal, tan or dark blue-green — and surrounded by small white dots in digitally rendered artwork that is simple and bold, yet sophisticated.

The designs evoke not only snowflakes but also a popular seasonal craft — the fun activity of cutting folded paper with scissors, then opening it up to reveal a delicate, symmetrical design. Paper “snowflakes” are often four- or eight-sided — it is easier for young hands to fold paper into quarters or eighths than into sixths. Paper snowflakes are made by children of all ages and at all levels of intricacy, making homemade snowflakes a fun classic activity for all

Greg Breeding, an art director for the Postal Service, supervised the project. Bailey Sullivan designed and illustrated the stamps.

The Winter Whimsy stamps are being issued in booklets of 20. They will always be equal to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.