Holiday Mail Deadlines, Guidelines, Package Tips & Extra Hours At Queens Post Offices

The Postal Service expects a very busy holiday mail season and their goal is to provide quick, easy and convenient holiday service.

The following post offices have extended their hours until 7 p.m., Monday to Friday and until 4 p.m. on Saturday: Archer Avenue, Astoria, Bay Terrace, College Point, Elmhurst, Far Rockaway, Howard Beach, Jamaica, Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Little Neck, Long Island City, Maspeth, Middle Village, Oakland Gardens, Queens Village, Rego Park, Ridgewood, Rochdale Village, Springfield Gardens, Station A, Steinway, Whitestone and Woodhaven.

Queen’s busiest post offices have received Automated Postal Centers (APCs) in order to provide easy access to postal products and services just like ATMs provide easy access to banking services. APC services include weighing and providing postage for packages up to 70 pounds and sending items via Express or Priority Mail. The automated centers, which only accept credit and debit cards, can also provide delivery confirmation, insurance, ZIP code information and sell stamps, but APCs do not accept cash.

Automated Postal Centers are available in Queens at the following post office locations from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday: Linden Hill, Bayside, Fresh Meadows, Jackson Heights, Jamaica Main Post Office, Forest Hills, Woodside, Sunnyside, Woolsey and Broadway Stations, Flushing Main Post Office from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, JFK Airport Station 6 a.m. to midnight every day of the week

Holiday Mail Deadlines And Tips

Deadlines for U.S. delivery by Christmas: using regular mail and Priority Mail service, mail holiday cards, letters and packages going out-of-state by Wednesday, December 21. Mail to in-state destinations should be sent by Thursday, December 22. After these dates, you can still use Express Mail for packages to many destinations.

The holiday mailing deadline for delivery by Christmas to most overseas military locations and international destinations is December 10. Express Mail is available to many locations after these dates.

Call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) to get the holiday customer service hours of your local post office, rates, ZIP Codes. You can also get holiday mail information at www.usps.com.

Include the correct address on all cards, letters and packages including name, address, apartment number (where applicable), city, state, ZIP Code. Print return address in the upper left corner. Never guess on the ZIP Code, there is a ZIP Code Lookup at www.usps.com or you can call 1-800-ASK-USPS.

For holiday cards and letters, the Post Office offers several colorful 37¢ holiday stamps including holiday cookies, Madonna & Child, Eid, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

You can order holiday stamps and other stamps by phone at 1-800-STAMP-24 and from the USPS Web site. You can also order stamps by mail by requesting a “Stamps By Mail” order form from your letter carrier.

The Postal Service’s newest on-line product, NetPost CardStore/Gift Card, marries personalized greeting cards with retail gift cards that can be designed and mailed from a desktop computer at www.usps.com. Customers also may create a more personalized card by uploading a photo and selecting either a folded card with an envelope or a postcard. Once the card is selected, customers easily click through to the page that instructs the Postal Service to mail the card. To complete the holiday gift package, add a gift card in values ranging from $5 to $200 from retailers such as Toys R Us, AMC Theatres, Blockbuster, Foot Locker, Marriott Hotels, Old Navy, SpaWish, The Sharper Image, Lowe's, Circuit City, Bed Bath & Beyond, Chili's Bar & Grill, Macaroni Grill, Barnes & Noble and Bass Pro Shops. Gift cards must be purchased online no later than December 19 to insure delivery by December 24.

Holiday Packaging Tips

When preparing a package for mailing, use a strong, sturdy box with no writing on the outside. Package the contents of the parcel tightly and securely; using newspaper, bubble wrap or other cushioning inside. Remove batteries from toys. Package cookies, fruitcake and other food items in leak-proof containers or secure protective wrapping. Include the name and address on a piece of paper inside. Seal the package with strong, reinforced packing tape. Do not use paper or string on the outside of package. They can get tangled in mail processing equipment. Print the complete name and address including ZIP Code in large print on one side of the package only and print your return name and address in the upper left corner.

Package senders are encouraged to purchase package Delivery Confirmation service and Insurance.

The U.S. Postal Service now provides customers with more shipping options just in time for the holiday mailing season. Using Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes, customers are able to mail packages, regardless of the parcels' weight or destination, for just $7.70 per package. The new boxes don't have to be weighed, and there are no zone chart and rate calculations required.

The Priority Mail Flat-Rate boxes are available in two shapes: 11-7/8 inches x 3-3/8 inches x 13-5/8 inches (ideal for garments, board games, books and other relatively thin items) and 11 inches x 8-1/2 inches x 5-1/2 inches (perfect for shoes, model cars and taller items.).

To make shipping a package even easier, the customer can use Click-N-Ship, offered online though USPS.com, to print a shipping label and pay the $7.70 postage, then use Carrier Pickup online notification to let their local post office know they have a package to be collected when their letter carrier delivers their mail the following day. How easy is that?

The U.S. Postal Service expects the biggest and busiest mailing day of the year to be Monday, December 19. The biggest delivery day is expected to be Wednesday, December 21.The best time for mailing at the post office is mid-morning or mid-afternoon.

And last, but certainly not least, the best advice is to mail early. Mail early. Mail early. Mail early. And finally, mail early.