Send Your Christmas Cards from Bethlehem

Each December, the petite post office in the town of Bethlehem becomes one of Connecticut's busiest postal facilities. The Bethlehem Post Office has introduced a new "Christmas Cachet" design each year since 1938, and there are now 76 different festive embellishments available to decorate your holiday mail. Designs have been created by local residents, artists and children. 2012's new design is a Gingerbread Man.

A visit to Bethlehem to send holiday mail has become an annual tradition for many families. Bethlehem is located in Litchfield County in the northwestern part of Connecticut--approximately 150 miles from Boston and 100 miles from the metro New York area (compare rates at nearby hotels). When you visit the Bethlehem Post Office, located at 34 East Street, you'll have the opportunity to select one of the cachet designs and to hand-stamp your mail before sending your greetings off to friends and family.

Holiday hours at the post office during the month of December are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Friday, December 7, 2012 during the Christmas Town Festival. The Bethlehem Post Office will also be open Saturdays December 8, 15 and 22 from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.

If you can't get to Bethlehem, you can still send holiday greetings decorated with one of the post office's cachets and the distinctive Bethlehem postmark. Simply address and stamp your holiday cards, collect them in a larger envelope, and mail them to: Postmaster; Bethlehem, CT 06751. There is no fee and no limit to the number of pieces you may enclose, and while there is no official deadline for getting your request to Bethlehem, the earlier the better. If you would like to have your cards and letters stamped with one of the Christmas cachet designs, enclose a note specifying the design you prefer. You can view some design selections at the town of Bethlehem's Web site.

For more information, call the Bethlehem Post Office at 203-266-7910. For information on lodgings and other points of interest in Litchfield County, visit the Litchfield Hills Visitors Bureau online, or call them at 860-567-4506.

More from New England Travel

Looking for more New England travel information? Start with the New England Travel home page, where you'll find current features and links to the best of the Net for all of your travel planning needs.

Don't miss our free email newsletter, About New England Travel, which keeps you up to date on what's happening in the region. Subscribe today!

Read the Latest Stories from your New England Travel Guide