POSTAL RUSH: MONDAY MARKS START OF BUSY HOLIDAY SEASON

The Cape Girardeau post office is gearing up for Monday, which is expected to be one of the busiest days of the year for the U.S. Postal Service.

The last two Mondays before Christmas always are busy in the nation's post offices.

"We'll be swamped with incoming mail," said Matthew Peters, manager of customer services at the Cape Girardeau post office. "A lot of people will mail a lot of cards and letters over the weekend."

Normally the Cape Girardeau post office delivers 125,000 pieces of mail daily. During the final week before Christmas, the total will surpass 200,000.

"But during the next two Mondays, we could be handling 250,000 to 300,000 pieces of mail," said Peters.

"We'll have a big outflow of mail on Monday, Dec. 21," said Peters. "That's the last weekend before Christmas, and we'll be swamped with everything -- cards, letters and packages."

Nationwide, the Postal Service is expected to handle more than 300 million cards and letters each of the next two Mondays.

Long lines at counters will be the order of the day throughout the next two weeks, said Peters.

"Stamp sales have been big," he said. "Customers are lining up daily to purchase stamps and to mail cards, letters and packages."

The Postal Service here has added four workers for the holidays and may hire more before Christmas.

Post office window hours have been expanded for the two Saturdays before Christmas.

"We normally close at noon on these two days," said Peters. "But on Dec. 12 and 19 window hours will be extended until 3 p.m.

The big rush of holiday mail started the day after Thanksgiving with a stream of catalogs and sales circulars. Shortly afterwards, customers started sending overseas Christmas gifts. Following a brief lull, activity has started picking up again.

The week before Christmas is usually the busiest of the year for the Postal Service, said Peters, adding that mail traffic will double then.

"People are mailing parcels now," said Peters.

There still is time to mail overseas parcels via priority or express mail, but time is growing short.

Postal workers will be logging long hours the week before Christmas.

Regular deliveries are planned through Christmas Eve, and express mail will be delivered on Christmas Day. Postal carriers will wear Santa Claus suits for Christmas Day express mail deliveries.

"With our system here, the mail has been flowing smoothly," said Peters. "We're telling people to get their cards in the mail by the weekend of Dec. 19 to assure delivery."

Dec. 16 or 17 is not too early for cards and letters destined for the West or East coasts.

For gifts, the deadlines is a bit earlier. Parcel post deliveries to either coast should be in the mail by Saturday. Priority mail gifts should reach coastal destinations if they are sent by Dec. 16 or 17.