Picking Up Santa’s Slack

On the busiest day of the year for the nation’s post offices, hefty cardboard boxes were piled on the floor beside customers who jammed the lobby, waiting as long as 30 minutes to mail parcels and cards at Orange County’s main postal center in Santa Ana.

“I don’t like it,” said Tuyet Huynh, 24, waiting her turn. “I’m bored. I was about to storm the window.”

The Monday preceding Christmas week always brings the U.S. Postal Service its heaviest volume, officials say, because so many people--realizing that time is running out--spend the weekend writing Christmas cards and buying presents to mail out Monday.

“We have packages stacked up to get out to the docks,” said Richard Maher, a spokesman for the Santa Ana facility, where much of the mail posted in Orange County is sorted.

At that location alone, Maher said, postal workers were expecting to handle as many as 3 million cards or letters and 150,000 packages Monday, triple the volume of an average weekday.

To prepare for the holiday onslaught, he said, the postal service hired 2,000 temporary workers countywide to help sort and deliver the mail and is adding 70 delivery trips daily from the Santa Ana office. The service also will open the Santa Ana office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday to serve last-minute mailers.

“The mail doesn’t slow down during the holidays,” Maher said, “because we strive to maintain the same delivery standards that we keep year-round. We’re used to this--we do it every year.”

Most customers seemed to take the crush in stride too.

“I thought it would be worse,” said Betsy Gonzell, a nurse from Huntington Beach, as she stood in line to mail her three packages. “I think they’re doing a pretty good job.”

Karen Grajek, a Santa Ana teacher, brought a book to read.

Al Prado, a consultant in Costa Mesa, said he didn’t mind waiting 20 minutes to mail a letter. “At least all the windows are open, which is better than most grocery stores,” he said. “All things considered, there are places I’d rather be, but what do you expect? It’s Christmas.”

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Extended Hours

Just in time for holiday procrastinators: The Santa Ana branch of the U.S. Post Office will be the only Orange County branch open on Sunday, Dec. 19. Monday through Friday

6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturdays

8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday

Dec. 19

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Christmas Eve

Dec. 24th, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.