Postal workers plow through busiest season

Postal workers got a chance to prove themselves a little earlier than usual this year.

Almost a foot of snow fell on parts of Cape Girardeau County last week -- along with rain and sleet, as the old saying goes -- making the roads hazardous to even the most hardy of vehicles.

But still the mail got out, carriers shivering their way through routes to deliver holiday greetings and bills, kind words from friends and junk mail from strangers.

It's a fascinating process. Anywhere in the United States, you can put a 37-cent stamp on an envelope and have that envelope show up at its intended destination in a few days.

These days, postal workers are proving themselves in another way: handling the influx of Christmas packages and cards. Postal workers at the various post offices in our area will handle between literally millions of pieces of mail between Thanksgiving and Christmas. They hire extra employees and bring in extra equipment to get the job done.

Most of that extra mail will come from people sending volumes of Christmas and other holiday cards and packages. Some will come from area businesses that ship all over the world.

And despite all the hubbub, postal workers from Cape Girardeau took time out to walk in the annual Parade of Lights last week. Children held out 500 letters to Santa along the route from Capaha Park to Hutson's Fine Furniture, and postal workers collected them for shipping to the North Pole. Those with return addresses will receive a note and coloring book from the jolly old elf, who no doubt will set about fulfilling the requests.

But there are steps post office customers can take to make things easier for the men and women who get our packages safely to their destinations:

Write, type or print the delivery address neatly. Aunt Millie might comprehend your handwriting, but others may not.

Always use a return address -- just in case the package doesn't reach Aunt Millie.

Always use tape that it designed for shipping. That doesn't include the tape used for most gift wrapping.

Place a return address label inside packages.

When mailing framed photographs, wrap the glass separately from the frame.

Don't forget the ZIP code. If you don't know the ZIP code, you can check the Postal Service's Web site at www.usps.com.

And the cardinal rule, the one that really counts ...

Mail early. Seriously. No kidding around.