KNOW THE RULES WHEN YOU MAIL HOLIDAY PACKAGES

With the Christmas season approaching and the massive mailing of packages that comes with it, It is good to know about the U.S. Postal Service's policy concerning the mailing of packages that weigh more than 16 ounces.

That policy was brought home vividly to Debra Rau, who was surprised when the packages she had mailed as part of a nationwide exchange of fabric squares ended up back on her doorstep because they had not been mailed through a postal clerk. Instead, she had put stamps on the packages and mailed them at a post office drop box. What she should have done was had a postal clerk process them and put the required postage on the packages.

Postal regulations, she found out, prohibit delivery of such packages because the Federal Aviation Administration fears a package not processed by a clerk might contain a bomb.

The post office posts signs informing senders of the policy at drop-off boxes, but because most people are usually in a rush and the signs aren't very big, few probably pay attention to them.

We will all save ourselves a lot trouble and assure that our Christmas packages will go through if we let a postal clerk mail them.