Small-town post offices face closure

BETHLEHEM, Indiana (AP):

Tiny post offices that come to life each year as people seek special holiday postmarks could soon find the tradition a ghost of Christmas past if the US Postal Service proceeds with plans to close thousands of facilities.

More than half a dozen post offices in places like Bethlehem, Indiana, and Snow, Oklahoma, are on a list of about 3,700 post offices targeted for closure as the postal service seeks ways to save money.

Mike King of Scottsburg, Indiana, says his family would be crestfallen if a 20-year tradition of Bethlehem, Indiana's special stamp featuring the three wise men following the star of Bethlehem, ends.

Even if the closings happen, holiday mailers can still get special postmarks from places like North Pole, NY, and Santa Claus, Indiana.