It's Time To Send Those Packages

Crunch Is On To Get Them Out Before Christmas

Laura Russo, Staff Writer
December 12, 2000, 6:32 p.m. EST

It's the season for mail madness at the post office. Lines are long, tempers are short, and there are less than two weeks to shop, wrap and mail your gifts.

If you're still procrastinating about get all of those packages out, you're not the only one, but next week the real crunch will hit.

Postal Deadlines

The United States Postal Service suggests that you mail domestic parcel post by Dec. 10, domestic priority mail by Dec. 18 and domestic express mail up to the week of Christmas.

Don't Get Lost In The Shuffle

To ensure that your packages will not get lost, the USPS asks that you remember to use a complete return address and be sure that you are using the correct zip code. You can look up zip codes on the USPS Web site. You can even track or confirm your parcel online.

Not sure where to mail your package from? Find your nearest post office right here.

Other Mailing & Packaging Tips

• Avoid waiting in line for holiday stamps by buying holiday stamps by phone at (800) STAMP-24 or online at The Postal Store.
• When mailing framed photographs, take the glass out of the frame and wrap it separately.
• Remove batteries from toys. Wrap and place them next to the toys in the mailing box.
• Include the address information on an index card inside the package, in addition to the address on the outside.
• Packages displaying postage stamps and weighing one pound or more must be taken to the post office for mailing.
• You may purchase insurance coverage for protection against loss or damage.

For more holiday information, from e-cards to recipes to local happenings, check out [an error occurred while processing this directive]'s holiday section.

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