This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Going to the post office during the holiday season can be stressful for some.

First, there's the scramble to get your gifts packed. Then, the prospect of a long line to send it. Last, the fear that the postage may cost as much or more than the item being shipped.

Lucy Winters had braced herself for shipping her holiday packages to the United Kingdom, Texas and California: she was prepared to wait. But she lucked out Friday with a short wait when she went to a downtown Salt Lake City post office during off-peak hours.

"I anticipated a long line," she said. "It's usually something we plan for."

But mailing holiday packages doesn't have to be a chore. The post office, which handles more letters and packages each year than UPS, FedEx, and DHL combined, suggests the following:

For extra-special holiday treatment

Looking for the perfect postmark? Personalized stamps? The right way to send letters to Santa? Many have the same questions. Here are tips on what you can do. E7

Use automated postal centers

Located in the lobbies of 29 Utah post offices, these machines are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can weigh packages and purchase postage with a credit or debit card. To find out which post offices have automated postal centers, visit the USPS Web site or call 800-275-8777.

Use priority mail flat rate

These boxes cost only $8.10 to ship anywhere in the U.S., including military addresses, as long as the box is under 70 pounds. The boxes are free, and are available at post offices, online, or by calling the 800 number.

Skip the trip

Online, customers can purchase stamps, hold mail, request the redelivery of a package, get packaging tips, look up ZIP codes, and more. The Click-N-Ship feature allows customers to print shipping labels and postage online by paying with a credit card.

Request a free pickup

You can request that a mail carrier come to pick up prepaid priority and express mail packages. The request must be made by 1 a.m. for pickup the following day, and can be done online. Pickup instructions can also be left online. The maximum weight for this service is 70 pounds.

Order holiday stamps by mail

Those without internet access can also purchase stamps without going to a post office. Mail carriers have stamps-by-mail forms, which can be returned through the mail. Stamp orders are usually filled within

1 to 2 days.

Mail gift cards and paper greeting cards online

The postal service site features gift cards from 20 national retailers, and over 50 holiday card designs that customers can purchase with a credit card and have sent via postal service with regular postal rates.

Go to the post office

during off-peak hours

The lines at the post office are the shortest during midmorning and midÂafternoon.

Use the mailing supplies at the post office

Brown paper packages tied up with strings, are not among the postal service's favorite things. The strings can get caught on mail processing equipment, and the paper can rip off, taking the mailing label with it. Packaging materials, such as tape, envelopes, padded bags, boxes and mailing tubes are for sale at the post office. Priority and express mail boxes, envelopes and tubes are free.

USPS Web sites

* Main page: http://www.usps.com

* Holiday center: http://www.usps.com/holiday/

* The Postal Store: shop.usps.com

Postmarks from Christmas, Fla.,

Mistletoe, Ky., North Pole, N.Y., or Snowflake, Ariz.

A list of holiday-related cities is available online. Send the items in a separate box or envelope labeled "holiday greeting card re-mailing," and send it to the postmaster of the town of desired postmark. Send items by Dec. 14 to ensure delivery by Dec. 25.

Personalized stamps

Get your own personalized stamps from http://www.pictureitpostage.com, Stamps.com, and http://www.zazzle.com/stamps. All are approved vendors that will print your personal pictures on stamps for a fee. The stamps start at about $.90 each, with an order minimum of 20 stamps. The price per stamp decreases when more stamps are purchased.

Letters to Santa

Children can write or use the postal service Web site to send letters to Santa Claus. His address: 123 Main St., North Pole, N.Y. 12946. The postal service requests that the letters include a return address, because some of the letters are given to charitable organizations that will help fulfill children's holiday requests.

Parents can also create a letter from Santa to the child, and send it in another envelope to: North Pole Christmas Cancellation, Postmaster, 5400 Mail Trail, Fairbanks AK 99709-9998. "Postal elves" will postmark Santa's reply and mail it to the child.