Chicago, IL — It’s not time to panic – yet.

That’s why this week is an especially good one to send your holiday gifts and cards on their way through the U.S. Postal Service.

With the season’s busiest mailing day projected to be Monday, Dec. 16, when 6 million customers are expected to visit Post Offices nationwide, this week is the time to avoid longer lines and start spreading that holiday cheer from coast to coast.

It’s an especially good week if giving gift cards is part of your holiday shopping list. Through Thurs. Dec. 12, USPS will waive all $3.95, $4.95 and $5.95 gift card activation fees when customers purchase $25, $50 or variable value ($25 - $100) American Express gift cards. It’s an ideal way for shoppers to save while giving a gift that’s sure to please every taste. The gift cards are available at stations and retail units throughout the region.

Consumers can avoid any holiday hassle by visiting usps.com — the Postal Service’s website that will help make mailing and shipping easier. Nearly 75 million customers will skip the trip to the Post Office altogether and take advantage of convenient online shipping. Click-N-Ship and other online services allow customers to print shipping labels, order free Priority Mail boxes, purchase postage and even request free next-day package pickup.

When getting ready to send that special gift, be sure to follow these tips for packing it securely:

• Remove batteries from toys and other electronic devices. Wrap and place them next to the item in the mailing box. Customers should include the new batteries in the manufacturer’s packaging.
• Place a card inside the package that contains both the delivery and return addresses. This ensures the safe return of an item that could not be delivered should the mailing label become damaged or fall off.
• Include both “to” and “from” information on packages — and only on one side.
• Always use a return address, which tells the Postal Service where to return mail if it cannot be delivered.
• Select a box that is strong enough to protect the contents.
• Do not reuse mailing boxes as they can weaken in the shipping process.
• Stuff glass and fragile, hollow items, like vases, with newspaper or packing material to avoid damage.
• When mailing framed photographs, take the glass out of the frame and wrap it separately.

And just in case you still have some shopping to do, you’ll want to keep these suggested mailing deadlines in mind:

• Priority Mail Express International – Tues., Dec.10
• Parcel Post – Sat., Dec. 14
• Global Express Guaranteed – Tues., Dec.17
• First-Class Mail – Fri., Dec. 20
• Priority Mail – Sat., Dec. 21
• Priority Mail Express – Mon. Dec. 23
• First-Class and Priority Mail mail-by dates to most military addresses hit this week, but Priority Mail Express Military Service can be used through Tues. Dec. 17.

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation — 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office™ Boxes. The Postal Service™ receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com®, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, Oxford Strategic Consulting ranked the U.S. Postal Service number one in overall service performance of the posts in the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

Follow the Postal Service on www.twitter.com/USPS and at www.facebook.com/USPS

The National Postal Forum, a not-for-profit education corporation, was established in 1968 by a group of postal customers/mailers who were committed to an ongoing partnership with the U.S. Postal Service. The Forum’s goal, then and now, is to provide education to business mailers and communication/feedback between the Postal Service and its business customers for a more responsive and efficient mail communications system. Held annually, the National Postal Forum is a combination educational conference/trade show offering a wide range of opportunities for attendees. For more information, visit npf.org.