US Postal Service Christmas Mail Deadlines Are Here: It's Go Time

MIAMI, FL — In a scene playing out around the country, postal workers are donning Santa hats, ugly sweaters and bright holiday ties — whatever it takes to put a spring in their step as they enter the home stretch for Christmas and Hanukkah holiday mail deliveries. It's go time.

"It's looking fantastic," Don Shandor, plant manager of the Miami Processing and Distribution Center, tells Patch as giant postal machines sort, process and postmark holiday cards all around him for South Florida ZIP codes beginning with 330, 331 and 333.

The plant is just outside Miami International Airport and is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the United States.

"We're moving 10 million pieces of mail just in this plant alone daily," Shandor said as his plant buzzes with activity. "Normally, it's about half of that. We picked it up about 50 percent."

He said his 1,000 employees are working extra hours between Dec. 16 and Dec. 22 to get everyone's holiday cards and letters delivered on time.

"We have our holiday employees for the month of December, and they are on board now," he said. "We've done this over and over. We practice, and we start planning in February of the year. We are ready for it."

While he would have liked to have seen holiday cards mailed a bit earlier, Shandor said the deadline to ship first-class mail is by the end of the day Friday to arrive by Christmas.

If cost is not an issue, the deadline for priority mail is Saturday. The deadline for priority mail express is Sunday.

He said postal workers have seen about the same numbers of cards and letters this year as in past years, but there is a surge in the number of packages thanks to the growth in online shopping.

Packages in the Miami area are processed at the Royal Palm Processing and Distribution Center in Opa-locka.

"Our employees always have the spirit. If you walk around, you'll see they wear holiday clothing, and they really take it up a step every year," Shandor added. "I don't even have to ask them. They know, and they get it done."