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THE Post Office has warned Brits to send their Christmas mail ahead of its busiest day of the year.
During peak times, more people than usual will be sending off their festive parcels and cards.
This results in longer queues, delayed delivery, and a potentially higher risk of your mail getting lost in transit.
According to the Post Office, it’s recommended to send your mail before December 8, which is estimated to be the busiest posting day of the festive run-up.
Many people choose the second week of December to begin sending off their mail as it strikes the perfect balance between not being too early and leaving plenty of time before Christmas arrives.
This in combination with recent statistics suggesting that Brits are planning on sending more gifts this year compared to last (33% versus 20% in 2024) is a recipe for lost letters and mile-long parcel lines.
Speaking on Christmas posting, Postmaster Arif Matadar, says: “Christmas is one of the most joyful times of year in our Post Offices.
“There’s nothing quite like seeing customers come through the door with parcels and cards, ready to spread some festive cheer to their loved ones.
“It really reminds me how much of a community hub we are.
“As we want our customers making the most of the festivities, there are a few tips I’d recommend to help get organised and make your posting experience as smooth and stress-free as possible.”
The first tip is to ensure you check the last posting dates for international mail, as they may be shorter than you think.
This can be checked in your local post office or online.
Arif also notes how important it is to make sure addresses are typed or written neatly onto mail.
Literal tons of mail gets lost every Christmas is delayed or cannot be delivered due to an illegible address, so be sure to write clearly and include a return address in case of a mishap.
If you’re posting anything expensive or you’d just like the reassurance of knowing your mail arrived safely, make sure to pay for tracked postage methods.
It costs a bit extra but both the sender and recipient can see where the parcel is during every stage of transit.
Arif’s final advice is to double check anything you write on customs declarations for parcels going abroad.
This declaration details an itemised list of the parcel’s contents as well as the weight and costs of the gifts inside.
Any discrepancies between the info and the contents of the parcel could result in your mail not getting sent.
Don’t forget to check what items aren’t allowed to be sent by asking online or in-store, as many common toiletries and gift items can’t be sent in the post.
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