JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Postal Service projects a record-breaking increase of daily shipments of holiday packages. More than 655 million pieces of mail are expected to be processed on Monday alone.
In total, nearly 18 billion cards, letters and packages will be delivered between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve according to the USPS.
The busiest delivery day for letters will be Wednesday, Dec. 19 and the busiest day for packages will be Thursday, Dec. 20.
All Post Offices will be open Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24, and New Year’s Eve, Monday, Dec. 31, but some will have shortened retail lobby hours and close at noon. Mail delivery for Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 will be the same as any other Monday.
In observance of the holidays, Post Offices will be closed Tuesday, Dec. 25, and Tuesday, Jan. 1. Only Express Mail will be delivered on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day in most major metro areas. Post Offices will resume regular business hours on Wednesday, Dec. 26 and Wednesday, Jan. 2.
Overall, USPS forecasts a 20 percent increase in holiday deliveries over last year. They credit the increase to consumers’ growing fondness for shopping online.
