Holiday happenings

Last-minute gift shopping made super easy

By Darlene S. Casey

Great Scott! Great Caesar’s ghost! Goodness gracious and gadzooks! I cannot believe the holidays are already here. I remember last year’s holidays so vividly, and my friends and I are wondering what in the world happened to the better part of 360-something days.

It’s been said that the older we get, the faster time sprints – and, this year, I’m a believer.

With the holidays at me like a freight train comes the realization that I’ve got to get gifts for all the wonderful people I care about as soon as possible.

Uh—oh, I have become a last-minute gift shopper.

I hope if I game this out smartly for myself, it could be helpful to those who may find themselves in a similar plight. I’m here to help us all ensure the deadline shock doesn’t lead to a panicky inertia.

We all are busy.

So, as a busy person with no time to go be-bopping and store-hopping for gift shopping, and as a proud and dedicated, career Postal Service employee, who lives in awe of the “House That Ben Built,” it made perfect sense to me to go shopping for all my last-minute gifts at the most perfect department store, that always is open, 24 hours-a-day, nights, weekends and every single holiday, a store that features gifts for friends and family from 3 years old to 103 years old.

“What?!” you ask – “Does such a wondrous place exist?!?”

Yes, this magical market of marvelous merchandise for last-minute gifts really does exist!

The store that is always open is (drum roll, please…)

…the Postal Store from your United States Postal Service!

At the fabulous Postal Store, there are a number of great departments with fabulous gifts just waiting to be selected and shipped, all from the cozy, cushy comfort and convenience of your casa, kitchen, closet, carport, classroom, cube or corner café.

Wherever you and your mobile device are, no matter the day, or time, that is where your Postal Store is. It couldn’t be, and it won’t get much easier.

So, hey, let’s put it to the test.

What dazzling, unique and personal gifts will I find at the Postal Store you ask?

Here’s a short list:

Each gift at this store has a very special “boutique” cachet (an intended philatelic pun, for you philatelists known to have searched the world over for that rare, valuable cachet).

See if my last-minute gift shopping list doesn’t inspire you to try to tackle yours now:

My daughter loves butterflies, flowers, anything in nature and doodling, so I got her this booklet
My dear son-in-law loves to wear ball caps, T-shirts and hoodies, and I’m eyeing this gorgeous men’s navy blue eagle hoodie for him.
My grandchildren love hip-hop, games and puzzles. They live across the Pond, so I shopped early and got them the Hip-Hop DJ T-shirts and commemorative panels and the Monopoly U.S. Stamps Edition board game. Fun!
My brother is a baseball enthusiast and I’m thinking of getting this for him:
My mother loves peonies, roses, wildflowers, postage stamps and sends cards in the mail for all occasions. If there were a National Shoelace Day, my mom would be sending a greeting card to someone, hee, hee! Mom is a special and favorite kind of postal customer. So, I’ll go crazy in this part of the Postal Store:
My pop is very handy, loves tools and gadgets and loves to travel with Mom. I think he’d love a sleek, leather passport wallet. Come to think of it, I probably should get a “His and Hers” set of two!
My sister is into women’s history, so I’m thinking of getting her this:
My cool friends like animals, nature and postal memorabilia. So, I thought these cool tote bags and puzzles could work as great last-minute gifts. And, get a load of these GORGEOUS, embroidered pillows! I might have to look at all these items for my mom, too!

So, hey, guess what? I’m done shopping!

After I compiled my list of names, it only took about 15 or 20 minutes to browse and no time at all to add my holiday gifts to my virtual shopping cart.

Best of all, I didn’t have to challenge any other shoppers to a duel for a parking spot or the last manhandled item on the shelf (neither would have ended well), and I didn’t have to wait in a long, snaking line in a hot, stuffy store ruing the decision to wear my heavy parka (thanks to the Postal Store, do I even need to own a heavy parka anymore?).

Instead, I’m relaxing at home with a luxurious mug of chamomile tea, holiday melodies playing in the background, and pine/cinnamon/apple pie-scented aromas wafting around me, filling me with a happy sense of calm and tranquility when I might otherwise have been a total wreck – rendered out of commission for more days than I’d care to admit to you or my coworkers.

Now, all I have to do is head to the Postal Store’s check-out page, pay with my credit card, PayPal, or Click to Pay, and entrust the delivery of my gifts to the Postal Service. If needed, there’s a nifty chat now helper for online assistance.

Thus, a monumental task that would have stressed me to the max, and taken too many hours, spanning too many days the “trudge-to-brick-and-mortar-stores” way – instead caused me zero stress and not much time to complete because I shopped at the “open whenever I need to shop” Postal Store.

My last-minute gift shopping was made super easy… tackled in a matter of minutes… and this is me breathing a big sigh of relief… feeling great satisfaction, and some actual glee.

Ta da!

Thanks to the Postal Service’s fantastic Postal Store, I am a goddess who is now in the holiday spirit, thinking about something, anything other than my last-minute gift shopping. And, thanks to the Postal Store, you can be stressless, and in the holiday spirit, too.