US Postal Service Holidays 2012

As we inch towards the beginning of a new year, we scan through the calendar to check how many holidays - especially the Federal holidays, are there in store for us throughout the year. Most of the people are on a lookout for the list of holidays because it helps them plan their year well in advance. At the same time, it is also important because most of the public service bodies - including the Postal Services and the Banks, remain closed on these holidays. If you resort to the United States Postal Service (USPS) for your mail, here is a list of US Postal Service holidays 2012 that you need to be aware of.

US Postal Service Holidays 2012

The United States Postal Service delivers mail across 50 states and several unincorporated territories of the United States of America - every single day. With the amount of hard work that they do, even the employees at the USPS deserve to have a holiday once in a while. Given below is a list of Federal holidays 2012 on which the US Postal Service will observe a holiday, i.e. the days of the year on which your mail will not be delivered.

Date	Day of the Week	Occasion
2nd January, 2012	Monday	New Year's Day[1]
16th January, 2012	Monday	Martin Luther King, Jr. Day[2]
20th February, 2012	Monday	President's Day[3] (Washington's Day)
28th May, 2012	Monday	Memorial Day[4]
4th July, 2012	Wednesday	American Independence Day[5]
3rd September, 2012	Monday	Labor Day[6]
8th October, 2012	Monday	Columbus Day[7]
12th November, 2012	Monday	Veterans Day[8]
22nd November, 2012	Thursday	Thanksgiving Day[9]
25th December, 2012	Tuesday	Christmas Day[10]

Federal Holidays Observed by the USPS

Here is some more information on the Federal holidays which feature in the 2012 US Postal Service holidays list given above. Going through this information will not just help you understand why these days are celebrated as Federal holidays, but also help you create a schedule for the US Postal Service holidays for 2013 (and ahead) on your own.

• ¹The New Year's Day 1st January - which marks the beginning of the Gregorian Calendar year is observed as a holiday around the world. In 2012, however, 1st January has come on weekend (Sunday), and therefore the USPS will have a holiday on the very next weekday i.e. Monday, 2nd January, 2012.
• ²Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday of January every year as a mark of respect for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 2012, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will be observed on 16th January.
• ³The President's Day is observed on the third Monday of February to commemorate the first President of the United States of America - George Washington. The day, which is also known as the Washington's Day, will be observed on 20th February in 2012.
• ⁴The Memorial Day, initially known as the Decoration Day, is observed on the last Monday of May to commemorate the soldiers who lost their lives while serving in the United States Armed Forces. In 2012, the Memorial Day will be observed on 28th May.
• ⁵The 4th of July is celebrated as the Independence Day in the United States of America to commemorate the adoption of the 'Declaration of Independence' - which declared United States independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, on this very day in 1776.
• ⁶The Labor Day is observed in the United States of America on the first Monday of September to celebrate the achievements of workers and the labor movement. In 2012, the USPS will observe the Labor Day holiday on 3rd September.
• ⁷The Columbus Day is observed in the United States on the second Monday of October to honor the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America. The USPS holiday for Columbus Day is scheduled for 8th October in 2012.
• ⁸The Veterans Day, previously known as the Armistice Day, is observed on 11th November, (or the nearest week day if 11th November comes on a weekend,) to commemorate the signing of the Armistice which brought an end to the World War I, and to honor all war veterans who have ever served in the United States Armed Forces. As 11th November is a Sunday, the USPS holiday is moved to 12th November, in 2012.
• ⁹The Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November every year - a tradition which can be traced back to President Abraham Lincoln proclaiming a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated during the American Civil War. In 2012, the USPS Thanksgiving holiday is scheduled for 22nd November.
• ¹⁰The Christmas Day is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. In 2012, the USPS Christmas Day holiday will be observed on Tuesday, 25th December.

That was the US Postal Service holidays 2012 schedule intended to update you about the ten US national holidays on which the Postal Service department will remain closed. (As with various other administrative departments, even the Postal Service department observes the holiday on Monday or on Friday if the actual holiday falls on the weekends.) You need to keep in mind that no mails will be processed on these days, and plan you mailing schedule accordingly.