Decorating Your Mailbox: Christmas

Looking for a way to spruce up your mailbox for the holiday season? We have some great tips for decorating your mailbox for Christmas!

Residential Mailboxes

·        Add a Christmas themed mailbox cover to your mailbox. Many retail locations sell these, making this a very simple way to decorate.

·        Wrap lights around the mailbox post, or even on the mailbox itself. Remember that your letter carrier must be able to get access to the mailbox when you are doing this! The colors of lights you use depend on the theme of your yard. Multi-colored, white, and blue lights are all popular for Christmas decorations.

·        Use elements of a wreath, or even a wreath itself! Adding swags of pine to the sides or on top of your mailbox will give it a very festive look. With some mailboxes it may even be possible to hang a small wreath on the mailbox itself.

·        Attach outdoor decorations to the top of your mailbox. There are many small decorations that you may choose from. Try decorations such as wrapped presents, santas, and more.

·        A very easy way to make your mailbox more festive is to wrap some garland around your mailbox post. It will add extra festive color to your yard.

·        Attach a bow to your mailbox. This can be on the post, or the face of the mailbox itself. Just remember to keep the mailbox accessible!

Cluster Box Units

What you can do with CBUs is a bit more limited and depends on what authority you have when it comes to the units. Once you know what you are able to do, here are some tips!

·        For CBUs that have flat tops, you can easily place Christmas themed items along the top. If it is outdoors the decorations should be weather-resistant. This idea works best for indoor units, on top of which you may place any type of Christmas knickknack.

·        Some CBUs are more decorative and may have slanted tops. Depending on the top, you may be able items to the tops such as bows.

·        Some companies have created holiday decals. These decals can stick to all sorts of surfaces. Place them along the sides of your CBUs!

·        Many CBUs have shorter posts. If yours has a longer post, you can attach garland or lights to it like you would a residential mailbox!

We hope that these ideas were helpful! Happy Holidays! 

Holiday Shipping Deadlines

Christmas will be here in less than two months and while some of you may think it is too soon to be thinking about mailing gifts, shipping deadlines may be closer than you think. This is particularly true for packages that are shipping internationally and more specifically, the military.

For example, if you wish to mail to the military using standard post, your deadline is November 7^th. The latest you can ship to a military address so your package will arrive by Christmas is December 17^th, but that only applies to certain destinations. You can find a detailed list of deadlines for military mail here.

Shipping an item internationally but not to the military will allow you more time. For select parts of the world, and for the right price, you can ship packages as late as December 22^nd. But if you are looking to save some money and ship for a cheaper price, you need to have your gifts ready to go by the very start of December. Plus these deadlines from the USPS do not take into account how long packages may take to get through customs. Plan accordingly. 

If shipping domestically you still have a lot of time. Standard post can be shipped as late as December 15^th for a Christmas arrival. For most locations across the country you can ship as late as December 23^rd, for the right price. You can get further details here.

You can buy shipping supplies in stores, online, and even at your local post office. Some boxes may even come complimentary with shipping! Before you ship make sure you have the correct address. You don’t want to waste time and money sending something to an incorrect address. Be sure to also package your items with care, lest they get damaged during transport.

Keep an eye on those shipping deadlines so your packages make it to your loved ones in time for the holidays!

Operation Santa

Photo Courtesy of USPS.com

December has arrived, and the USPS has kicked off its Operation Santa program. This program allows individuals, charities, businesses, and more to respond to letters that children have written to Santa.

This program is held at select post offices across the United States. People may go to the post office and select a letter from a child, and then are encouraged to return to the post office with a gift. Letters are often asking for items such as warm coats and gloves, toys, and presents for friends and family.

This annual program has been running every December for 102 years. It kicked off in New York City with a ceremony on December 2^nd to celebrate the start of the program for the season.

Some post offices are accepting the return of packages through Christmas Eve, though most participating locations have a cut off around mid December to give post offices ample time to deliver the gifts. Some cities that are participating this year are Cleveland, Ohio, Chicago, IL, Boston, MA, and more.

For a full list of participating post offices, including days and times of operation, click HERE. You can also read about the program on the USPS site, HERE.

We have just one more link for you. To see the USPS full list of holiday items, from resources and mailing dates to information about holiday programs, you can follow THIS LINK.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. We hope that this month is magical and special for all of our customers this year.

Letters From Santa

Do you have young ones at home who still believe in Santa? Make their Christmas extra special by assisting in them receiving a real letter back from Santa!

The USPS is offering a special program that will allow children to get letters back from the North Pole. It does take a little creative work from you, but it will be worth it to see your child’s face when they open that letter.

You will have to be sneaky and agree to mail your child’s letter, then read it and respond yourself. Be sure to reference your child’s accomplishments and remind them to sleep early on Christmas eve. Then place the letter in an envelope addressed to home, and mail that letter in a larger envelope to:

NORTH POLE HOLIDAY POSTMARK
POSTMASTER
4141 POSTMARK DR
ANCHORAGE AK 99530-9998

The postmaster will use the North Pole postmark and mail the letter you’ve written back to your home. But don’t let your children wait too long! Letters must be received by December 15^th, 2014 to make it back in time.

You can find full instructions on the USPS website HERE.

Make this Christmas extra special and memorable, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!