VALENTINE — The Valentine Post Office has revealed the winning entry that will adorn the envelopes of Valentines and greeting cards as the 2025 customized pictorial postmark.
For almost 35 years, the annual Valentine’s Day postmark has been selected from an art contest among students of the Valentine Independent School District. This year’s winning artist is 7th grader Ellie Terrazo, a third generation Valentine resident. Inspired by fond memories of a campfire illuminating the night at her grandfather’s house, Ellie drew a landscape with a campfire front and center. “Growing up, my grandfather always had a campfire going during our family outdoor events,” Ellie said. She also remembers attending the “Valentines in Valentine” outdoor concert in her hometown and being captivated by all of the campfire-style fire rings burning throughout the grounds. The warmth of these memories is what Ellie wanted to convey through her art and share on greeting cards and love letters this Valentine’s Day.
The Valentine Post Office receives thousands of Valentines and greeting cards every year to be stamped with the unique postmark and mailed to loved ones all over the country and around the world. Postmaster Ismelda Ornelas personally hand-cancels 10,000 to 12,000 envelopes, on average, every year, calling it a labor of love. “This will be my sixth Valentine’s Day as postmaster, yet every year feels different; each brings a new experience, new artwork, new creativity. I truly enjoy stamping the Valentine postmark on every card and letter that comes through this post office and look forward to it every year,” says Ornelas.
A mail-in request for the customized postmark is simple. Address a greeting card or cards to that special person(s), affix a First-Class Mail postage stamp to each, and place in a larger envelope, also with appropriate postage. Address the larger envelope to:
Valentine’s Day Postmark
Postmaster
311 W California Ave
Valentine, TX 79854-9998
There is no charge for requests for up to 50 cancellations. Requests for more than 50 cancellations will be charged five cents for each additional cancellation. The cancellation is available until March 14, 2025.