*Forever Letter Stamps: 2022 Hanukkah Stamps*
Description
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In 2022, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates the joyous Jewish holiday of Hanukkah with a stamp. The stamp art features an original wall-hanging. The fiber art was hand-dyed, appliquéd, and quilted to form an abstract image of a hanukiah, the nine-branch candelabra used only at Hanukkah. The blue and purple fabrics represent the sky, and the greens and browns represent the earth. The bright yellows and oranges represent the Festival of Lights, as Hanukkah is also known. Hanukkah means “dedication” in Hebrew. The story of Hanukkah begins with the victory of the Maccabees, an army of Jewish fighters, over the forces of the Hellenic emperor Antiochus IV, whose supporters had desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem by building an altar to the Greek god Zeus. After reclaiming the Temple and preparing to rededicate the holy space, the worshippers discovered that only one small jar of consecrated oil remained, enough to last one day. Rather than wait for more oil to arrive, they re-lit the Temple menorah, which miraculously burned for eight days. The miracle of the oil is celebrated during Hanukkah with the ceremonial lighting of the hanukiah. The hanukiah holds eight candles, one for each night of Hanukkah, and the shamash, the servant or helper candle used to light the others. The candle for the first night is put on the far right side of the menorah. On each subsequent night, an additional candle is placed to the immediate left of the previous night’s candle. The candles are lit from left to right, so that the lighting begins with the newest candle. Families might recite blessings each night, one before the lighting and one as the candles are lit; a third blessing, known as the Shehecheyanu, is recited only on the first night of Hanukkah, as it is on other special family occasions. Some families take this opportunity to explain more about their heritage and the symbolism behind the ritual. Two of the favorite Hanukkah foods recall the miracle of the oil. Latkes—fried potato pancakes—are a particular favorite, as are doughnuts called sufganiyot. Some recipes have been handed down for generations, and the preparation of the foods during the holidays is frequently a family affair. Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, a date that falls in late November or December. Jeanette Kuvin Oren was the stamp designer and artist. Ethel Kessler was the art director. Hanukkah is being issued in panes of 20 Forever® stamps. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price. USPS purchases cannot be returned and are not eligible for a refund |
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Shipping
Need it by December 25th? Please place your order by December 15th and choose Priority Mail. After December 15th, please choose Express Mail! Thank you!
Order Fulfillment & Shipping
We handle each order with care! And we are a very small team of just a few real life humans, so it generally takes us 1-4 days to fulfill (pack up and ship out) orders. If your order is urgent (e.g. you're hoping it gets fulfilled and gift wrapped in time for your dinner party tonight, just give us a call at 907-523-5053! Part of the beauty of being a small business is all of this is made up! Lol. Just communicate with us; we will always do our best).
After we pack up your order, we send it via the shipping method you choose at checkout. In general here are time estimates:
Free Local Pickup: these are often ready on the same day, but could take up to a few days if we have high volume in the shop. Call us if you need it asap and we can do that!
First Class: 4-8 Business Days
USPS Retail Ground: 4-8 Business Days if under 13oz, but if it's heavier than that then it goes on a boat and it can take 3-4 weeks to arrive to a destination in the lower 48.
Priority Mail: 3-5 Business Days. We love Priority Mail; it goes on an airplane and arrives to you within a week, generally.
Express Mail: 2 days!
***We cannot be used as a General Delivery pick-up location***
*** We are bonafide shipping nerds, so if you have a question about shipping estimates or times, just call or text us at 907-523-5053 and we can assist you before placing your order! ***
Returns and Exchanges
We want you to be happy with your goods! And, we're a small business, so returns and exchanges can be costly for us. Here's how we currently roll:
1 - We know shopping online is tricky but we are here to help! Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions we can answer before you make your purchase, so that we can try to help bridge the gap between online and real life the best that we can! We are available via the chat function, or feel free to call/text/(even facetime us!) at 907-523-5053. We're happy to get you more images or video to help you with your choices!
2 - If there is a problem with your order or you receive an item that was damaged in transit, please contact us so that we can make it right! You can email us at [email protected] or call us at 907-523-5053 and we will facilitate a replacement or a refund, and we will cover associated shipping costs.
3 - We accept returns and exchanges within 30 days, as long as the item is still in new, unused condition, with undamaged packaging (basically, can we put it back in our collection?). (We extend the return window to January 15th for all orders placed online between November-December). We don't cover the shipping for these ones, sorry! Please reach out to us so we can help coordinate your return/exchange. [email protected] or call us at 907-523-5053.
We are a small team and we are growing and learning about e-commerce; we appreciate your grace and patience when we make mistakes. 🙏🏽