Today’s Holidays Need Today’s Mail

Public counts on Postal Service to deliver holiday cheer

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — People count on the men and women of the Postal Service to deliver cards and letters this holiday season across the nation and throughout the world. With the Postal Service expecting to deliver 20 billion pieces of mail between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, there are several things customers can do to make sure that holiday cheer arrives on time.

“This is our busiest time of the year,” said Al Eakle, a spokesman for the Greater Indiana District of the U.S. Postal Service. “Our employees across the country are committed to moving and delivering the mail.”

The Postal Service is recommending all First-Class Mail and Priority Mail be sent by Dec. 20 and that Express Mail be sent by Dec. 22. Mail sent by Parcel Post, the most economical service, should be in the mail by Dec. 15.

Mail destined for servicemen and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan should be sent by Dec. 4. Mail destined for any other military installation around the world should be mailed no later than Dec. 18. All military mail, regardless of destination, is sent at domestic mail rates.

Another date customers need to remember is Dec. 24, when Post Offices across the state will operate on Saturday hours.

Marking these dates and taking advantage of the convenience of the Postal Service’s online products and services will give customers more time- something they really can use this time of year. And a number of these products and services are free. They include:

• FREE package pickup-Don’t fight Mother Nature. Stay inside where it's nice and warm instead and let the Postal Service do what it does best — pick up and deliver mail. Prepare Priority Mail and Express Mail packages then schedule a pickup online at usps.com/pickup. Free package pickup is available from home or office, regardless of the weather. Unlike other shipping companies, there is no fee for the service.
• FREE eco-friendly boxes and envelopes- Send a very “green” holiday message across town or around the world when sending Priority Mail and Express Mail packages and envelopes. The U.S. Postal Service is the only mailing or shipping company in the nation to achieve “Cradle to Cradle”SM Certification for human and environmental health. These supplies are 100 percent recyclable. To make it even easier, the same box can be used for domestic or international mail.
• FREE shipping supplies- Tape, labels, international mailing products, even customs forms are available online at usps.com — at no charge. Chose from a variety of Priority Mail and Express Mail envelopes and packages, including the popular Flat-Rate Box, and Priority Mail boxes for mailing videos, DVDs or CDs. Stop wasting time searching for a cardboard box or abandoned shoe box. Everything you need is online and can be shipped to a home or office.
• FREE military CareKits- The Postal Service has created a special mailing and shipping kit designed specifically for military families sending packages overseas. Each CARE KIT contains two Priority Mail boxes, six Priority Mail Flat-Rate boxes, eight Priority Mail labels, one roll of Priority Mail tape and eight customs forms with envelopes. Call 1-800-610-8734 and ask for the CARE KIT.
• FREE Holiday Guide- Sent to every residential address in the nation, the Holiday Guide provides helpful tips and resources as well as time-saving and stress-free services available online at usps.com.

Customers who need stamps can either purchase them online or at a number of alternate access points across the state. These include banks, grocery stores, drug stores and Automated Postal Centers.

“From finding the closest Post Office with extended hours to ordering free, environmentally friendly packaging during the late, late show, the Postal Service is looking out for our customers,” said Eakle. “These free services are further evidence that today’s holidays need today’s mail.”