USPS Releases New Winter Wreath Global Forever Stamp for 2026 Holiday Season

The U.S. Postal Service has released a new Winter Wreath Global Forever stamp, giving its 2026 holiday lineup a softer, snow-covered design made for international mail. The stamp was issued September 18 in Humble, Texas, without a ceremony. As a Global Forever stamp, it can be used to mail a 1-ounce letter to any country where First-Class Mail International service is available.

Rather than relying on the traditional bright reds and greens often associated with Christmas wreaths, USPS art director Greg Breeding went in a different direction for this year’s design. The stamp features a wreath in a muted winter palette, with pale decorative elements and a dusting of snow creating a quieter seasonal look. Breeding said the goal was to give the 2026 issue a different mood from previous Global holiday stamps, two of which also featured wreaths but leaned more heavily on traditional red and green.

The wreath itself was not created digitally. Photographer Natalia Kostikova assembled it in 2023 using artificial branches and materials from a craft store. She hand-painted the decorative ornaments and then sprayed the wreath with baking soda to create the appearance of snow before photographing it for the stamp design.

That handmade approach gives the finished stamp an unusual backstory, with an arrangement built from relatively simple materials eventually becoming the image used on U.S. postage. Wreaths have long been associated with winter celebrations, and their circular shape has also made them a recurring choice for USPS Global holiday stamps.

“Their shape makes them instantly recognizable around the world,” Breeding said, noting that designing within the round format of the Global Forever stamp presents its own creative challenge.

The Winter Wreath stamp is being sold in panes of 10. Global Forever stamps retain a value equal to the current price of a single-piece, 1-ounce First-Class Mail International letter, meaning the stamp remains valid for that service even if postal rates change in the future.

The release joins the Postal Service’s growing group of 2026 holiday issues and gives stamp enthusiasts another seasonal design to add to this year’s collection. The Winter Wreath Global Forever stamp is available now through Post Office locations nationwide, the USPS online Postal Store, by phone and through USA Philatelic.