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Holiday cards course through

Procrastinators can still ship packages by Priority Mail, but after Dec. 22, they'll need to pay Express.

TAMPA - For Sharon Grant, this past weekend involved another project. But it wasn't housecleaning or redecorating - it was filling out Christmas cards.

More than 60 of them.

Grant, who lives in Tampa, spent two straight days scribbling good cheer after good cheer, just so she could mail out the stack early this week.

"I'm still not quite finished," she said, standing in line at the Postal Service's downtown station during her lunch break Monday.

She wasn't alone. Monday marked the U.S. Postal Service's busiest shipping day of the season. The Tampa postal system expected to process 2.8-million pieces of stamped mail Monday alone - a million more than its daily average. The St. Petersburg plant expected to triple its volume by postmarking 1.6-million cards and letters.

Nationwide, when placed end-to-end, processed mail that normally could circle the globe three times could make another trip around the world with Monday's brisk business.

At the open-air post office in downtown St. Petersburg, workers wore red Santa hats as Christmas carols played.

Architect Fred Russell, sending postcards of one of his latest creations, the building that houses Starbucks at Fourth Street and Ninth Avenue N in St. Petersburg, stood in line for five minutes.

"The line was long, but they've got enough people here where they knocked them out," said Russell, 40. "It's not like the bank where they have six teller stations and one working."

There's good news for postal procrastinators: Officials say you can send out Christmas cards as late as Dec. 22 and probably have them delivered by Christmas.

After that, you'll have to shell out for speedier shipping methods.

For packages, it's suggested that anything sent out from now on should be mailed Priority Mail, said Bridget Roberston, spokeswoman for Tampa's postal system. After Dec. 22, postal patrons are advised to switch to Express Mail to guarantee their parcels will arrive on doorsteps Christmas Day. (Yes, the Postal Service delivers Express Mail on the 25th.)

"Try to mail as early as you possibly can," Roberston said. "There could be a freak snowstorm up North. You never know what the weather is going to be."

There was a morning rush at the Postal Service's Tampa airport location, where carolers and cookies were featured guests. In the afternoon, someone in a Cat in the Hat costume was directing customers.

In St. Petersburg, lobby directors were placed at all 10 stations and branches, said Sue Harton, customer relations coordinator for the St. Petersburg postal system.

Alan Turnquist, a math teacher at St. Petersburg High School, had to mail 30 packages of fragrance oils he created.

"I was told this was the busiest day of the year, and I was afraid coming down here," said Turnquist, 34. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

- Times staff writer Leanora Minai contributed to this report. Dong-Phuong Nguyen can be reached at 226-3403 or nguyen@sptimes.com

Mailing tips

Don't use string. It can snag.

Don't wrap your gift in brown paper. It snags, too. Stick it in a sturdy box and use strong, reinforced packing tape. No duct tape or masking tape.

If mailing a framed picture, remove the glass and wrap it separately. That way, if the glass should break, it won't damage the photo.

Print clearly.

Double check that ZIP code.

Print your name and address and the recipient's name and address inside your package, too, in case the ink on the outside runs or the box gets damaged.

Mail your cards by Dec. 22.

If you're mailing packages from today on, you might want to switch to Priority Mail. If you're mailing Dec. 22 or later, switch to Express Mail. The post office delivers Express Mail on Christmas Day.

- Source: U.S. Postal Service