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	Vol.7, No 59, December 13-17, 1999
			*Holiday Guide 99'*
	Holiday mail volume skyrockets By Sarah LaVoie Daily Forty-Niner The U.S. Postal Service expects an avalanche this holiday season -- a mail avalanche that is. Holiday mail volume is expected to jump by 4 percent this season, Postal Service representatives announced last week.  This increase means that from Thanksgiving to Christmas, there will be 20 billion holiday cards, letters and packages circulating through the nation's mail.  Dec. 20 is expected to be the busiest mailing day of the year largely because many people do their holiday shopping the weekend before Christmas and send packages the following Monday. To process the influx of mail, the service is extending hours at many post offices, adding temporary employees, and more planes, trains and trucks, a Postal Service news release stated last week. For those last-minute shoppers, the service offers tips on how to send late holiday packages.  The Postal Service offers a variety of options to send packages in the mail such as Parcel Post and Express Mail delivery.  Parcel Post rates are based on weight and are the most economical, but the gift may take up to ten days to travel across the country. Postal Service officials recommend people use Express Mail service for holiday packages mailed after Dec. 20.  However, this method can be costly as rates vary from $11.75 for packages under 8 ounces to almost $15.75 for those up to 2 pounds.  According to the service, express mail packages and cards sent on Christmas Eve will still be delivered on Christmas Day to most major U.S. cities. But whatever option students choose, Postal Service officials encourage students to use their recommended tips to ensure packages and cards are delivered in time for Christmas.  MAILING TIPS DURING THE HOLIDAY: Use all uppercase letters and remove all punctuation. Street address and apartment numbers should all be on the same line. Indicate whether the location is east, west, south or north on a street in the delivery address. Double-check spelling, especially on street names.  Make sure the full street name is correct in the address, such as Oak Street, Oak Drive or Oak Avenue). Always include apartment or suite numbers and the correct ZIP code. Use the standard two-letter state abbreviation, such as CA for California.		Courtesy of U.S. Postal Service                                                       Freshmen dropout rate declines   Educators fight for district seat   Lawmakers back textbook tax drop   Disease common in U.S. colleges   Student aims for U.S. presidency   SEMESTER IN REVIEW   Millennium celebrations across the Southland   Holiday mail volume skyrockets   L.B. 99 percent ready for Y2K, officials say   500 bands to be at first city celebrating 2000   Y2K bug exterminated at CSULB, CSU system   Cultural Christmas NASA wasting space   President pitches reading program   Big market for booze in Long Beach Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.