The United States Postal Service is expected to deliver 19 billion cards, letters and packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

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Fort Scott Post Office Supervisor of Customer Services Todd McDermed said people who are planning to send holiday items to friends or loved ones should consider getting those items in the mail soon, as the local post office will continue to be busy through Christmas Day.

"With Christmas being on Thursday this year, our heaviest mailing days will probably be the previous Monday and Tuesday, the 15th and 16th," McDermed said. "Those are good dates to get things across the country where they need to go (by Christmas). Otherwise, they can mail them overnight to get them there on time."

To ensure that holiday mailings reach their destinations on time, the U.S. Postal Service recommends that all military mail destined for Iraq or Afghanistan be mailed by Dec. 4, and that all other military mail headed for other overseas bases be mailed by Dec. 11. Regular mail being shipped within the U.S. should be mailed by Parcel Post, the most economical shipping service, by Dec. 16; by First-Class or Priority Mail by Dec. 20; or by Express Mail by Dec. 23 in order to arrive by Christmas, the USPS statement said.

The USPS will process about 150 million first-class letters each day during the holidays. About 12 million packages will be delivered each day through Christmas Eve.

McDermed said that recently, the local post office has averaged about 35,000 pieces of mail per day, and expects to average between 30,000 and 40,000 pieces of mail each day throughout the holiday season; considerably more than the 20,000 to 25,000 the office typically delivers in an average day any other time of the year. The FSPO serves seven city routes, five rural routes and about 500 post office boxes.

McDermed added that the office's regular business hours will not change during the holiday season; however, the post office has added an extra customer service staff member to ensure the office has enough assistance through the Christmas mailing season. Extra delivery trucks will also be employed to transport mail to and from the local office. The U.S. Postal Service has scheduled about 30 percent more cargo flights nationwide to accommodate extra volume during the holiday season this year, McDermed said.

The U.S. Postal Service also offers some advice for people who want to make sure holiday gifts reach their destination swiftly and safely.

"The Postal Service is making it easier to ship packages to family and friends this season," Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Operating Officer Patrick Donahoe said. "Proper addressing and proper packaging will help us give every gift the service it deserves."

The Postal Service offers free, environmentally friendly Priority Mail and Express Mail boxes and envelopes -- supplies that can be ordered online at www.usps.com, or picked up at the local post office. Some of the advantageous products and services offered by the USPS include Flat-Rate boxes, Click-N-Ship, and READY POST, which are pre-packaged shipping products sold at local post offices for customers who need sturdy, secure boxes and envelopes.

With Flat-Rate boxes, no calculating of postage or weighing is needed.

"It does not matter what the weight is," McDermed said. "They pay one flat-rate price. They pay the postage, and can go online to usps.com and schedule carriers to pick them up. We have several different sizes of boxes."

Click-N-Ship allows customers to design and print pre-paid shipping labels and organize all of their holiday mailing online at their convenience from the comfort of their own home or office, without making trips to the post office.

For a list of packaging tips and guidelines for addressing envelopes and packages, as well as other holiday mailing tips visit www.usps.com.