GREEN BAY (NBC26) — There are 17 days until Christmas. It seems like tons of time to shop for presents, but if you’re going to be sending gifts through the mail this year, you might want to get all that shopping done soon.
“This is kind of our time to shine," said Danielle Downing, Supervisor at USPS in Green Bay. "We’re happy to take care of our customers and see the smiles on their faces when we bring them packages.”
The holidays are always a busy time at the post office. But this year, it could be even crazier, said Downing.
“There might be an increase of things here and there," she said. "People might be coming in earlier to ship stuff cause they’re not visiting the family. They’re shipping everything instead of bringing it there.”
Here are some dates to remember if you want your gifts to arrive before December 25th:
- Dec. 15 — USPS Retail Ground service
- Dec. 18 — First-Class Mail service (including greeting cards)
- Dec. 18 — First-class packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
- Dec. 19 — Priority Mail service
- Dec. 23 — Priority Mail Express* service
With the COVID-19 pandemic, USPS has been preparing longer than ever for the holidays, said Downing.
“No pressure, it’s just helped us prepare more for the holiday season it’s given us more time to prepare," she said. "We’ve been preparing longer and been able to make sure that we do a good job.”
Some customers, like Brooke Elston, are sending gifts to family through the mail for the first time.
“Usually they come up and we give it to them," she said. "But this year they don’t want to make the haul with my grandma and all that, We're just going to send it to them.”
Postal workers are ready to deliver every gift, said Downing.
"The employees here are fantastic," she said. "They really enjoy the job that they do and they like to come her every day and make sure that they work together as a team. The entire postal service really takes pride in being able to take care of everybody.”
USPS is also running their Operation Santa program nationwide. Customers can adopt letters to send gifts to children and families all over the country.
