Shape Up and Ship Out

Every year around this time I start to get serious—at least seriously concerned—about Christmas shopping. All my family lives several time zones away, so I need to keep my eye on postal advisories if I want them to get their presents on time.

And let's face it, I've never been an early bird.

A quick investigation today confirmed my instincts: This is supposed to be the busiest shopping week of the year, and I've yet to buy one present.

I'm all but certain to miss the deadline for shipping presents via parcel post, the economical option. That deadline is today, Dec. 15, according to the U.S. Postal Service, which estimates that nearly 16 billion cards, letters and packages will be delivered over the course of the holiday season.

The U.S. Postal Service has set Dec. 20 as the deadline for first class mail, Dec. 21 for priority mail and Dec. 22 for express mail.

FedEx expects to ship more than 63 million packaged this week—its busiest of the year. Last year the company shipped 57.5 million packages during its busiest week. UPS also expects this to be its busiest week.

For those of you a little further along in the game than me, here are some packing tips from the U.S. Postal Service:

• Make sure packages can withstand processing without the contents or box breaking.
• Cushion items with bubble wrap and foam peanuts so they do not shift during transit.
• Wrap each item separately when packing more than one item in the same box.
• Remove batteries from electronic devices and wrap separately.
• Use new boxes when possible. When reusing a box make sure previous labels and markings are covered before mailing.
• Place an extra address label with the delivery and return address inside the package. This ensures the safe return of an item that could not be delivered should the outside label become damaged or fall off.
• Always use tape designed for sealing shipping boxes. Do not use string, cellophane or masking tape to seal packages.

Looking for a post office in West Hollywood? Here are two locations for you to choose from:

• 820 N San Vicente Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069    (310) 652-5435
• 1125 N Fairfax Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90046    (323) 654-8236