Letter into your Heart

Source: The Loveland Museum/Gallery Collection.

There are many ways to express your love. Heartfelt social media posts, electronic billboards, and mariachi bands are just a few of the many paths to Valentine’s Day bliss. Then there’s mailing a letter to Loveland, Colorado. KUNC (an NPR affiliate) reporter Emma VandenEinde explains how the Loveland Valentine Re-Mailing Program works:

[Y]ou write a card, address it and stamp it, and then put it in a larger envelope to be mailed to the Loveland Post Office or the Chamber of Commerce where they will give it the official Loveland Valentine's Day poem stamp and send it on its way.

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In late January the stampers get to work. Volunteers start by stamping each letter with a red, ink-soaked stamp that features the poem selected to be this year's official Loveland poem. The letter also receives a unique postage cancellation stamp.

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The re-mailing program — and what has grown to be an entire festival — started as a marketing stunt 79 years ago. Stamp collectors at the post office tried to start a fun tradition, but it didn’t quite catch on until former Chamber President Ted Thompson promoted it with the new Loveland nickname of “Sweetheart City.”

This is a great way for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to not only spread the love but also make a buck and advertise its services. The USPS has struggled to shake off its image as a communication mode of the past, and fun, out-of-the-envelope ideas like the Valentine Re-Mailing Program are a great way to counter that.

Happy Valentine’s Day, and here’s hoping that you get a letter (or two) from Sweetheart City.