Ruly Appreciation: Busiest Mailing Day of the Year

As time winds down quickly before Christmas, I am going to share a few quick posts with some of my favorite holiday ideas.

First, I wanted to pause to remember that no matter how busy we all may feel, there are few people busier right now than the workers at package delivery services like the U.S. Post Office, UPS and FedEx.

Yesterday, the busiest mailing day of the year, we contributed to the estimated 800 million pieces of mail burden by dropping off our holiday cards. There was a huge line of people mailing packages.

Amazingly, some websites (including amazon.com) are still promising delivery before Christmas if you buy today! The U.S. Postal service will still take your packages today for delivery via priority mail.

Our mail was delivered well past 6 p.m. last night and our lovely mail carrier informed us that she has had no time to do her own Christmas preparations with her workload and expects to be called in for extra shifts this week. UPS was delivering late last night and another truck was back out early this morning.

If you are inclined to recognize the hard work of your delivery driver, CNN reports that U.S. Postal Service employees cannot receive cash but can receive a nominal gift valued $20 or less. UPS and FedEx drivers also are prohibited from accepting cash tips but can accept small token gifts. This thread on amazon.com suggests good gifts for delivery drivers include gift cards to a local restaurant or store, homemade goodies and food. Being nice and writing a quick note of thanks are other much appreciated gestures!