National Postal Workers Day is observed each year on July 1. It celebrates and recognizes postal workers who often walk an average of four to eight miles a day, delivering letters and packages to our doorsteps. 

 

Additionally, National U.S. Postage Stamp Day is celebrated on July 1 to recognize the ease of sending and receiving mail, whether it’s from a pen pal or the grandmother living across the country at Christmastime. 

 

There’s something special about opening a letter fresh from the mailbox, a sensory experience you don’t get from opening an email. Many projects are devoted to preserving the lost art of letter writing. Each envelope or package has postage. 

 

The first US postage stamp was issued on July 1, 1847, though stamps were not required until 1855. They were 1-3 pennies each, depending on distance traveled. 

 

By the time I was born in 1969, stamps had risen to six cents.  By the height of my pen pal phase, a little more than a decade later, the cost of each stamp had risen to twenty cents. 

 

I dabbled a little in philately, the study and collecting of postage stamps, and my showpiece was finding mail that had circumvented the postmark process. While my stamp collecting phase was short-lived, I’ve sung the Blue’s Clues “Mailtime” song every time I’ve gotten mail since 1996. 

 

 

If you want to mail a letter now, the stamp will cost you 68 cents. Forever stamps, first issued in 2007, can be bought at the current stamp cost and are non-expiring no matter how much stamp prices rise in the future. 

 

Some of my favorite Forever stamps over the years have been Scooby Doo, Sesame Street, Charlie Brown, and Shel Silverstein. They infuse a little personality into each outgoing envelope. 

 

If you see a postal worker or go into the post office today, make sure to spread some extra encouragement and gratitude. Buy a book of fun stamps and mail a letter to someone who needs a little cheer. July 11 is National Cheer Up the Lonely Day. Today is a great day to get a jump start on that!