A white cake, a row of bright candles, three lines of capital letters.
For the first time in five years, the Postal Service issues a stamp made especially for birthday invitations, cards, letters and packages — an oversized white cake with colourful candles, above the words HAPPY BIRTH DAY!, set on three lines. It is the fifth birthday stamp in U.S. postal history: the first came in 1987, a slice of cake with a lit candle; another appeared in the 1988 Special Occasions booklet; birthdays returned in 2002 amid a scatter of confetti, and again in 2021 with a piñata, party hat, cake and balloons. The occasion is far older than any of them. Birthdays have been marked for thousands of years, though in the United States they were long the preserve of the wealthy or of a national figure like George Washington; everyday children only began celebrating in the late 19th century, as incomes rose and ideas about parenting changed.
Some stamps are for occasions. This one is the occasion.
PERFECT FOR: birthday cards and parcels, gift tags, party invitations, journal pages, and the drawer you raid every time someone you like turns a year older.
