LEHIGH VALLEY — With Charlie Brown and the Peanuts friends on this year’s holiday stamps, it will be a festive season for mailing letters, cards and packages.

The Postal Service offers the following tips and deadlines to make the mailing season merry and bright:

Deadlines:

The Postal Service is suggesting these remaining mail-by dates and tips to help customers mail and ship conveniently for the holidays:

Delivering Holiday Cheer to Service Members

Shipping Deadlines - For a full list of domestic, military and international deadlines please go to http://about.usps.com/holidaynews/

Visit usps.com to ship and send in just a few clicks:

• Analyze prices, shipping options and delivery times by using the Calculate a Price tool.
• Receive a discount at checkout on select products when you print, prepare and pay for shipping labels with Click-N-Ship®.
• Schedule a next day Package Pickup for no extra charge.
• Order stamps via usps.com for delivery to your home.

Visit local retailers to purchase holiday stamps and mail packages:

1. Many grocery stores, pharmacies and national retailers sell holiday stamps.
2. Several local retailers offer postal shipping services in the evening and on weekends.
3. To find the closest ones and their hours, go to usps.com and under Quick Tool click on Find USPS Locations.

Stamps

• There are a number of Forever holiday stamps for customers to choose from, including Charlie Brown (pictured at top), Geometric Snowflakes, Holy Family, Hanukkah, Global Evergreen Wreath, Kwanzaa,and Eid.

• Holiday stamps can be delivered to any address when ordered through usps.com, by calling 1-800-STAMP-24 or by completing a Stamps-By-Mail form (available from mail carriers).

Convenience Options and Services

Self-service kiosks can be found at the following locations and are available 24/7. At one of the kiosks, you can mail packages, purchase stamps, and more:

• Bethlehem Lehigh Valley Post Office, 17 South Commerce Way
• Bethlehem Main Post Office, 535 Wood Street
• Easton Palmer Post Office, 650 South Greenwood Avenue (not 24 hour lobby)
• Whitehall Post Office, 1105 Schadt Avenue

Contract Postal Units (CPU) offer postal services at convenient hours. Area CPUs include:

• Campus Shop, 2301 West Liberty Street, Allentown
• King’s Market, 365 South Cedar Crest Boulevard, Allentown
• Mailbox Pack & Ship, 3140B West Tilghman Street, Allentown
• Minuteman Press, 1801 West Tilghman Street, Allentown
• Redner’s Warehouse Market, 1201 Airport Road, Allentown
• Redner’s Warehouse Market, 2323 Lehigh Street, Allentown
• Plaza Card & Gift, 3 West Broad Street, Bethlehem
• Cantelmi’s Ace Hardware, 1805 Sullivan Trail, Easton
• Minuteman Press, 661 South 25th Street, Easton

To find the closest retailers and their hours, go to usps.com and under Quick Tool click on Find USPS Locations or call 1-800-ASK-USPS.

Packaging Tips
How to pack a gift like a pro:

• Pick a strong and sturdy box, and tape it closed tightly.
• Cushion contents to protect them during transportation, and wrap glass and other fragile items with extra newspaper or packing material.
• Place wrapped gift boxes inside a plain larger box.
• Remove all batteries from electronics.
• Remember to place an extra shipping label inside the box, so the item can be returned in case the box or label gets damaged.

Successful shipping tips:

• Print addresses clearly and in CAPS.
• Include complete ‘to’ and ‘from’ info.
• Check usps.com for the correct ZIP Code — never guess.
• Be sure to label a box as ‘FRAGILE’ if it needs to be handled with extra care.
• Visit usps.com to pay and print postage and schedule a pickup, or drop off your gift for delivery at the Post Office™.

Ship gifts across the globe without leaving home:

• Use the Postage Calculator tool on usps.com to check prices and compare options.
• Visit usps.com to complete a customs form and pay the postage.
• Print your shipping label.
• Schedule a free next day Package Pickup, or drop off your gift at your local Post Office.

For letters and cards:

• Use sturdy envelopes, especially when inserting gift cards inside.
• If sending a gift card, consider sticking an address label on the gift card; if item is separated from envelope it can be recovered for delivery.
• Never send cash.

Postal facts:

• USPS will handle approximately 15.5 billion letters, cards and packages during holiday season.
• Of those, approximately 600 million will be packages – up 10.5% from last holiday.
• In many areas, delivery of packages will occur 7 days per week (adding Sunday) to facilitate extra volume.
• The Lehigh Valley Processing and Distribution Center projects to handle

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

Be sure to follow us on Facebook (US Postal Service) and Twitter (@USPS) for holiday help throughout the season!

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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. A complete list of the holiday shipping deadlines can be found at about.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.