TIME IS RUNNING OUT. There's less than a week left until Christmas, and just a handful of shopping days. There's still time to mail those cards, letters and packages. For those who've waited, it's a good thing the Postal Service has extended its window hours at many locations, including Sunday hours for the final weekend before Christmas.

The Postal Service is everywhere customers are. Stamps are available at 60,000 ATMs, supermarkets and convenience stores, in addition to 38,000 postal stores. For total convenience, The Postal Store is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week at www.usps.com. It features a full range of stamps, collectibles and postal products.

HOLIDAY ADVICE. This is a great time of year to receive holiday gifts, cards, letters — and even e-mail messages. But recipients are advised to be careful. E-mail messages can contain more than just holiday cheer.

Computer hackers use the holiday season to spread computer viruses disguised as greeting cards or other seasonal messages. Be especially careful if an e-mail arrives from an unknown or unfamiliar source. Be cautious about unsolicited e-mail — especially spam — during the holidays. Delete suspicious messages without opening them, and their accompanying attachments as well.

IN THE GREEN. The Federal Paper featured Dennis Baca, USPS manager of Environmental Policy, as the first government official in its "Profiles in Innovation" series. Last month, he also was a finalist for the Service to America Medal given by the Washington, DC, Partnership for Public Service.

Baca — called the USPS's "Big Green Machine" in the article — spends much of his time these days on bio-safety, including the cleanup efforts at two postal facilities closed due to anthrax contamination. The paper says he brings a "green" sensibility to the USPS bottom line. "We handle over 40 percent of the world's mail," Baca says, "so my staff and I look at how we can help meet our primary business concern — which is moving the mail — and have the least amount of impact on the environment."