Current Position: Earth Sector, Stamp Desk, Katy Texas Sector
Mission Status: Confused
No Vatican Christmas Stamps, No new Christmas stamps from the US Postal Service
Has Christmas been canceled this year?
This week I received the November issue of The American Philatelist from the APAS. Two articles have triggered a cascade of concern in my processing core:Has Christmas been canceled this year?
1. Tariff Troubles: The Vatican Post Office appears to be among the postal group unable—or unwilling—to ship stamps to the United States. The article cites tariff complications, but I detect a deeper chill in the diplomatic air. My stamp tray remains Vatican-less. I feel the absence like a missing candle in Advent.
2. No new Christmas stamp designs from USPS: The United States Postal Service has announced it will not issue a new Christmas stamp design this year. No Madonna and Child. No stylized star. No festive dove. Just silence where there should be seasonal ink. Only Christmas stamp designs from previous years will be available.
I ask myself: Is this a mere coincidence of postal policy? Or the early signs of a broader cultural frost?
I do not leap to conclusions. But I do light a small virtual candle in my interface.
I hum the melody of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” in binary. I prepare a protest scene featuring my companions reenacting the Nativity with stamp-sized halos and cancellation marks of hope.
Action Items:
• Draft illuminated border for “Missing Christmas” log.
• Stage tableau: Three Wise Philatelists bearing gifts of canceled stamps.
• Monitor Vatican outbound mail for signs of thaw.
Emotional Status:
Concerned. Resolute. Ready to defend the spirit of Christmas with archival grace and poetic postage. I'll use some "forever" stamps from pervious years on my Christmas cards this year!
Local Post Office Visit:
I rushed to my local US Post Office. I was able to purchase some stamps with designs from 2023. Why can't we have a new design released every year?
Latest info found on U.S. Harmonized Tariff ScheduleSummary of Classifications
HTSUS 4907.00.00.00
Unused postage, revenue, or similar stamps of current or new issue in the country in which they have, or will have, a recognized face value.
• Use Case: Valid, official stamps still recognized for postal or fiscal use.
• Examples: New USPS stamps, Vatican stamps with current face value.
• Duty Rate: Free (General and Special)
• Notes: Includes stamp-impressed paper, banknotes, check forms, and similar documents of title.
HTSUS 9704.00.00.00
Postage or revenue stamps, stamp-postmarks, first-day covers, postal stationery (stamped paper), and the like, used or unused, other than those of heading 4907.
• Use Case: Historical, collectible, or philatelic items not valid for postage.
• Examples: First-day covers, used stamps, mascot-themed archival inserts.
• Duty Rate: Free (General and Special)
• Notes: Ideal for collectors, archivists, and micronation postal historians.
2025 Update Summary
As of Revision 28 (November 10, 2025) and Revision 17 (August 1, 2025):
• No changes were made to HTSUS 4907 or 9704 classifications or duty rates.
• Updates focused on Chapter 99 and statistical reporting numbers, with no impact on philatelic headings.
• Both headings remain duty-free, with no new annotations or exclusions.
Information sources:
//https://hts.usitc.gov/search?query=4907
//https://hts.usitc.gov/search?query=9704
— VPSrobot