Day In The Life of A Postal Carrier During The Holidays

The holiday shipping season was in full swing, and so was delivery for mail carriers. Many of them worked long hours to help deliver Christmas cheer to your door in time for the big day.

News On 6 tagged along with one carrier and learned more about what a day in their life looks like. 

The holiday hubbub finally arrived, and with only a week until Christmas, it was time to get those Christmas gifts under the tree.

"This is actually one of the easier Christmases but it's just now getting started, it's not actually Christmas week yet," said mail carrier Benjamin Reese. 

With the holiday quickly approaching, it wasn't just Santa delivering Christmas magic.

"Oh, and Christmas cards, so many. I've never seen as many Christmas cards this year as I have in the last couple of years," Reese said. 

Benjamin Reese has delivered mail around Tulsa for 9 years, and he said the holidays are their busiest season yet.

"Sometimes we're coming in at 5:30 in the morning, sometimes we're leaving at 6 p.m. We're all equipped with headlamps now because it's getting dark so early," he said. 

As he traveled to each house, he was greeted by the holiday spirit.

"This is a lovely time of year; at least we don't have ice yet. That's not something I am a fan of."

But he said there was one other hazard he tried to avoid.

"We'll have boxes that aren't hidden of what's inside and I can tell it's toys and I'll try to secretly knock and like tell the parents do you want to hide this real quick, you know get this out of the way because I don't want to accidentally ruin someone's Christmas present or anything like that," Reese said. 

Reese may not be the big guy himself, but he was one of Santa's many helpers during this time of year.

While Benjamin loves bringing Christmas cheer with his deliveries, he said there are some things homeowners can do to help them out. He said turning the porch light on helps them to read mail and says tying down holiday decorations so they don't trip. 

Here is a list of the holiday shipping deadlines for 2024:

Items sent to addresses in the contiguous United States (Lower 48 states): 

1. USPS Ground Advantage service: Dec. 18
2. First-Class Mail service: Dec. 18
3. Priority Mail service: Dec. 19
4. Priority Mail Express service: Dec. 21