Not
only are they busier than elves in a toyshop, but in some offices they have
reported an increase of holiday mail and packages.
And
in this, the hailed happiest time of the year, the customers, they say, are
actually in better spirits than Christmases past.
Donald
Lamica, supervisor-acting postmaster for the Solvang
Post Office, said they are as busy as they were last year and that there have
been more Christmas cards sent than in previous years.
Beverly
Clement, window sales clerk for the Buellton Post office, said there were about
900 outgoing and received parcels passing through her post office every day
during the two weeks leading up to Christmas.
“I think people got an early start this year,”
Clement said.
She
said while she has not seen as many Christmas cards, she was excited to see the
normal, staggeringly large amount of holiday packages.
“We
were surprised,” she said. “We didn’t guess it to be as much this year because
of the recession and saving money, but people are still in the spirit.”
The
Buellton Post Office has seen an increase in letters to Santa Claus, though.
“Actually
I’ve seen more this year; we’ve got quite a few,” Clement said. “Our postmaster
is answering the ones that have return addresses.”
She
also said customers have been coming into the post office with sweet treats for
the workers — cookies and candies.
Some
years people act very serious and rushed when they
mail their packages, but not this year, Lamica said.
“Most people coming in all seem to be in a
pretty good mood this year, pretty jovial,” she added. “They come in smiling.”
Lori
David, distribution clerk for the Santa Ynez Post Office, said her post office
starts to get a flurry of holiday shippers the Monday after Thanksgiving.
“Usually,
the mailing day after Black Friday … that’s when they start mailing their
packages,” David said. “They’re here before we open; there’s a line.”
She
said they get about 500 packages a day to be shipped in early to mid December.
“This
Christmas, we’ve seen less Christmas cards and more packages,” David said.
Paula
Paola, a Solvang resident, spent about $90 to mail two large packages to her
grandchildren in Oregon and Arkansas. Every year she ships presents, she said.
“These
people (at the post office) are so good because they take care of you,” she
said.
Cruz
Phillips from Santa Ynez said she was mailing five packages to her family in
northern California, Michigan and Iowa. She said she was happy since she was
mailing her shipments on Dec. 19, the last day items could be shipped from the
Santa Ynez Post Office on priority mail to reach loved ones before Christmas.
A
downer of the holiday mail, all three postal employees agreed, is that the post
office cannot mail alcohol, a common problem in wine country.
“UPS
is benefiting off that one; we‘re not,” Clement said with a laugh.
Reach Lauren Crecelius at
lcrecelius@syvjournal.com.