Love, APA!

Austin Pets Alive! receives stamp of approval from USPS for 50th anniversary collection

Picture this Pet: Diego - Austin Pets Alive

The United States Postal Service selected the Austin charity to celebrate the 50th year of its "Love Forever" stamp series.

Photo courtesy of Austin Pets Alive!

The United States Postal Service (USPS) unveiled its new Love 2023 Forever stamps at Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) on Thursday morning.

Every year, the USPS releases a new "Love Forever" stamp a month before Valentine's Day as part of the "First Day of Issue Ceremony." For the 2023 season, USPS opted to have the theme of the stamp honor the cats and dogs people love to shower with gifts and hugs year-round.

"Evoking feelings of warmth and playfulness, each stamp shows a cute and cuddly animal resting its front paws on a big red heart. Sure to add a bit of whimsy to your valentines, these adorable stamps are also suitable for use on letters and cards throughout the year," a press release from the USPS states.

Animal lovers can pick between either a puppy or a kitten leaning against a big red heart to send mail to their loved ones.

USPS held a dedication ceremony at 11 am on January 19 in an outside tented area of the APA! parking lot. The beloved Austin nonprofit was selected by the USPS for the reveal due to the theme of the stamps.

"At Austin Pets Alive! the majority of the dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens on campus were once on euthanasia lists in other shelters," USPS said on a webpage for the event. "They have approximately 350 adoptable animals on campus and approximately 1,100 animals in foster care today. They recently celebrated the 100,000th rescue since their nonprofit was founded – a demonstration of LOVE in action."

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Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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merry xmas atx!

Austin makes merry as one of the best cities to celebrate Christmas

City of Austin Government - Facebook

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Austinites are right at home when it comes to experiencing the best Christmas in Texas this year. The very merry state capital has jumped into the No. 23 spot on WalletHub's annual list of the best cities for celebrating Christmas in 2024.

The yearly report ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities across five key dimensions: Traditions and fun, observance, generosity, shopping opportunities, plus travel and meal costs.

Austin previously ranked as the No. 31 best U.S. city for celebrating Christmas in WalletHub's 2023 report.

Here's how Austin performed in the five main categories in the study:

No. 19 – Traditions and fun rank
No. 20 – Shopping rank
No. 36 – Costs rank
No. 42 – Generosity rank
No. 72 – Observance rank

Austin gets to cheer itself on as the highest-ranked Texas city in 2024 thanks to its heap of holiday happenings, including numerous delightful light displays throughout town. From local restaurants and bars putting their all into creating festive feasts to-go and delightful cocktail experiences, to locals supporting small businesses at holiday markets, there is plenty to get Austinites in the holiday spirit this year.

Smaller Central Texas towns like Smithville have also transformed into fun, festive escapes for city dwellers this time of year.

Austin households also have bigger holiday budgets in 2024 than they did the year before. According to a separate WalletHub study, the average Austin household is expected to spend about $1,905 on Christmas gifts this year, versus $1,877 in 2023.

"With inflation making Christmas celebrations, gifts, food and travel more expensive, certain cities are much better for your wallet than others during the holiday," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the best cities have a large number of people celebrating, plenty of places for Christians to worship, populations who give generously to charity, and plenty of fun activities to enjoy with family and friends."

In a separate report by home services provider Thumbtack, Austin was crowned the No. 1 most festive U.S. city for the third year in a row.

Elsewhere in Texas, other festive cities that earned spots in the top 50 include San Antonio (No. 30), Dallas (No. 31), and Houston (No. 41).

The top 10 best places to experience Christmas in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 2 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 5 – Orlando, Florida
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – St. Louis, Missouri
No. 8 – Miami, Florida
No. 9 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 10 – New York, New York

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