DETROIT MI — The U.S. Postal Service says that Monday, Dec. 19, will be the busiest mailing day of the year. Of the 12 million customers visiting the nation’s 31,000 plus Post Offices, 7 million will visit the world’s largest Post Office — usps.com.

Thursday, Dec. 22, is expected to be the busiest delivery day for holiday packages, cards and letters. The Postal Service anticipates nearly 30 million packages will be delivered on the peak delivery day alone.

“With the Postal Service’s expanded delivery window of early in the morning, late at night, we ask that customers who are expecting packages turn on their porch lights to assist our letter carriers,” says Postal Spokesperson Elizabeth Najduch. “Our customers can count on the entire Postal Service workforce to deliver their holiday.”

The Postal Service expects to deliver approximately 16 billion cards, letters and packages this holiday season. As the world’s largest e-commerce deliverer, the Postal Service is projecting about 750 million packages will be delivered this holiday season, a 12-percent increase compared to last year.

In time for the holidays, the Postal Service is offering real-time delivery notifications. Customers who sign up for alerts at My USPS will receive an email or text notification for select packages within a few minutes of when the letter carrier delivers and scans the parcel.

Tips to avoid a shipping glitch

• Print addresses clearly and include all address elements, such as apartment numbers and directional information (ex: 123 S Main St. Apt. 2B)
• Never guess a ZIP Code. NO ZIP is better than a WRONG ZIP. Look up a ZIP Code at usps.com under Quick Tools
• Remove batteries from toys. Wrap and place them next to the toys in the mailing box. Customers should include the new batteries in the original packaging
• Place a card inside the package that contains the delivery and return address. This ensures the package can be delivered or returned should the mailing label become damaged or fall off
• Include both “to” and “from” information on packages – and only on one side
• Do NOT reuse mailing boxes – they 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

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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

More USPS holiday news, including shipping deadlines and Santa mail, can be found at usps.com/holidaynews.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf. Follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/usps), Instagram (instagram.com/uspostalservice), Pinterest (pinterest.com/uspsstamps), LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/usps), subscribe to our channel on YouTube (youtube.com/usps), like us on Facebook (facebook.com/usps) and view our Postal Postsblog (uspsblog.com).

For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.