Seasonal shift

NOEL, Mo. -- For most of the year, Noel, pronounced with one syllable, is the self-proclaimed "canoe capital of the Ozarks" -- the heart of a tourist industry based around Elk River.

When the leaves have fallen and the temperature drops, the city's name changes to the two-syllable "No-el," and its title changes to the "Christmas City."

At the heart of that annual change is the Noel post office, where postmaster Robert Brumback and dozens of local volunteers spend six weeks stamping thousands of cards and letters with the city's trademark red wreath or green Christmas tree stamps.

"This is something very unique to Noel, and it goes back to the 1930s," said Mayor John Baucom. "All the people I mail cards to love to get that stamp. The postmaster gets more volunteers than he can handle because everyone in Noel wants to get involved."

56,000 cards, letters

Brumback said he receives cards and letters from people across the country and around the world who want that special stamp and their postage stamps canceled in a city with the name that captures the spirit of the Christmas season.

Brumback said he received 56,000 cards and letters seeking the Noel stamp last year. Many come in bundles to be broken up and forwarded to their final destinations from Noel. Others are envelopes to be sent back to the sender after stamping. Some are requests from collectors seeking Noel's stamp.

Brumback, who has been postmaster in Noel for the past 10 years, said the town's name presents challenges in the six weeks around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"I grew up in Neosho, so I was aware of Noel and the Christmas stamps, but until you step into this building as postmaster, you have no idea how much mail comes in that time frame between Thanksgiving and Christmas," Brumback said. "It's more work, but it's good-feeling work. The folks who drive here for the stamp are a joy to talk to, and the people who mail here are putting a special effort to putting the magic in their Christmas.

"These are not the bah-humbug bunch. These people are full of the Christmas spirit, and they go out of the way to make Christmas special for their friends and family."

Brumback said dozens of people drive to Noel to get the stamp on their cards and letters.

One of the first is usually Robert McClarrinon, 79, from Hot Springs Village, Ark.

McClarrinon, who graduated from Joplin High School in 1941, said he's been making the 485-mile round trip from his home to Noel for the past five years because his family and friends like the unique Noel stamp.

"They talk about it and think it's kind of clever," McClarrinon said. "I send out about 15 cards a year to family and people I've known in the past. I'm widowed now, and most of the people are friends my wife and I had. It's just a way to let them know I'm still around one more year."

Made an extra effort

Brumback said one group stopped by the Noel post office on their way from Anchorage, Alaska, to Kentucky.

"You know, Noel really isn't on the direct route between those places," he said. "These people really made an effort to come here, and that's part of the magic of the season here in Noel."

Brumback said the local volunteers are the ones who really make this phenomenon possible. He said between 40 and 60 people are scheduled two at a time in two shifts daily to stamp the envelopes.

"The post office is not unlike other businesses. We have a schedule, and it's written in stone," Brumback said. "Noel in the summer is a river town with the canoes and campgrounds. For 11 months of the year, we try to tell people we're Noel and try to get people to pronounce it 'Nole,' but this time of year, most citizens don't mind being in Noel pronounced the other way."