HOLIDAYS 2021
ALL IN THE FAMILY
For more than 60 of those years a member
of the Tucker family was in charge.
According to the Orange County Regional
History Center, Lizzie Tucker got
the job in 1916, taking over from her
husband, Andrew; and their daughterin
law, Juanita, took over in 1932 and
stayed on the job for more than 40 years,
retiring in 1974. She died in May 2008 at
the age of 101.
In 1937, the Tuckers moved postal headquarters
to a one-story white framed
building with a small porch. The post
office was always the one place people
could go to get information and help and
a welcome gathering place for residents.
Juanita Tucker was the guiding force
behind the holiday theme and for years
the three rooms of the post office were
jammed with hundreds of artifacts sent
from all over the world.
The 1937 building was retired about the
same time as Juanita and moved across
the street to the Peace Garden where it
served as a museum for decades. Around
2018, the 1937 post office building was
moved farther north into the Fort Christmas
Historical Park where it is undergoing
renovation.
Today’s Christmas postmaster is Dawn
King who has been on the job for nearly
15 years.
“Our special Christmas cancellation
generally starts the first day of December
and runs through Christmas Eve,” she
said. “The earlier you can get your letters
and cards in the better, because even if
we are stamping them Christmas Eve
your intended recipient won’t get it by
Christmas Day.”
BUSY TIME OF THE YEAR
King says the foot traffic at the small post
office quadruples right after Thanksgiving
28: SPACE COAST LIVING | SPACECOASTLIVING.COM
but they are able to manage the
crowds efficiently. For those who want
a decorative stamp with a catchy saying
like “it’s always Christmas in Florida” in
addition to the postage cancellation imprint,
postal employees will happily supply
customers with a stamp and inkpad
to hand stamp their envelopes. Usually,
a driver’s license is required as collateral
to prevent the coveted Christmas stamps
from disappearing.
“We have a lot of people from all over
the world who mail packages of preaddressed,
postage paid greeting cards
here to have them postmarked from
Christmas,” King continued. “Most
people send it to our address 23580
East Colonial Drive, Christmas, Florida,
32709 in a priority box or envelope and
we will postmark it from Christmas,
Florida. All they have to do is pay the
additional postage to get them to us.”
Santa has his own mailbox at the post
office and if you get your letters in early
enough they will be answered. You can
also go to www.usps.com and find an
Operation Santa link for those who want
Santa to answer their letters.
King explained that the Postal Service
is hiring for more than 40,000 seasonal
positions nationwide as preparations
continue for the organization’s peak
season for mail and package deliveries.
“It’s part of our delivering for America
plan through which the Postal Service
is investing $40 billion over 10 years in
infrastructure and its employees,” said
King. “And yes, we will have an additional
employee here to handle the demand.”
FOUNDED ON DEC. 25
So how did Christmas get its name?
The country was in the midst of the
Second Seminole Indian War and on
Dec. 25,1837, a force of 2,000 U.S. Army
soldiers and Alabama volunteers arrived
to construct a supply depot for the
soldiers working the countryside.
The complex, consisting of two 20-footsquare
blockhouses surrounded by a
pine thicket, was constructed in just
three days. A company of about 80
soldiers remained at Fort Christmas as >>
KERRY FIRTH PHOTOS
The tiny town of Christmas is named after the U.S. Army fort, which was built in three days during December
1837 to supply troops fighting in the Second Seminole War.
A replica of the fort was completed in December 1977, exactly 140 years after it was first built by the Army.
Foot traffic at the Christmas Post Office, which is decorated year round, quadruples right after Thanksgiving
but postal workers are able to manage the crowds efficiently.
/SPACECOASTLIVING.COM
/www.usps.com
