Local post office takes on busiest day of the year

We are officially in the holiday home stretch, the challenge now is to get those gifts or letters mailed  just in time.

One of the places that felt the holiday rush,  were post offices across the nation.

December 19th,  just six days away from Christmas,  is the busiest day for the U.S. Postal Service.

Monday afternoon,  dozens of people with packages and stacks of holiday letters in hand lined up inside the Salisbury Post Office.

"We've even started bringing double or in some cases triple the staff," says Anne Brady, the Post Master at the post office in Salisbury.

Brady tells us they expect to see 2.1 million pieces of mail come through on Monday.

47 ABC caught up with a Salisbury woman and her four year old daughter who were ready to send out a package. Shahid Gardner tells us this year they will not spend Christmas with their family members who live in Hawaii, so this time around they are mailing their gifts.

"I got my sister some clothes, and like she said play-doh. There is a tablet in there somewhere and some shoes, " says Gardner.

Gardner is one of many who are not waiting until the last day to send their holiday packages. However  now that it's crunch time,  Brady says there are a few things folks can do ahead to make sure their packages arrive in time.

One tip is to avoid reusing shipping boxes.

"If you don't get the labels off it can make your package circle," says Brady.

Another tip is to write mailing and return addresses clearly, and if you're unsure if zip code, Brady says you're better off putting no zip code at all versus putting an incorrect zip code. She says this will prevent it from being returned or sent to the wrong destination.

Tuesday is the last day for folks to get packages or letters shipped using first class mail, after Tuesday you'll need to use either priority or express shipping to get letters or packages mailed in time for the holidays.