There are only 23 more days – including today – until Christmas.

Have you gotten your cards or gifts ready to send in the mail?

If not, there’s still time. But it’s quickly running out.

According to Union Postmaster Robert Fowler and the U.S. Postal Service Web site at www.usps.com, the last day to mail anything with a semi-guaranteed arrival date of Dec. 25 is by Express Mail on Wednesday, Dec. 23. And that’s only guaranteed to arrive by Christmas in some metropolitan areas that deliver that type of mail on the holiday.

Some mailing deadlines already have passed or soon will be so too error on the early side is advised.

According to USPS, 16.6 billion cards, letters and packages are expected to be delivered this year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The busiest mailing day of the year is Dec. 14 when the number of processed pieces of mail is expected to be more than 830 million. That’s also the deadline for any parcels going to Canada, the Caribbean, Europe or the Middle East via Priority Mail to make sure they get to their destination on time.

The deadline to ship to some APO or FPO military addresses or any other military address, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan, is even earlier for Parcel Airlift Mail this Friday, Dec. 4, and for Priority Mail it’s a week later on Dec. 11.

Nearly 100 million customers will visit their local Post Office during the holidays and 41 million people will visit the USPS Web site in the same period.

And to make sure a letter, card or package doesn’t get lost in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, there are some easy steps to take to avoid any glitches.

Be sure to include a return address on any parcel of mail and put the correct information in the address of the person or family it is being sent to. Print the name of the recipient in all capital letters, eliminate all punctuation, spell out the destination city name and abbreviate the state name. Also, be sure to include an apartment or suite number, if necessary, and use abbreviations in the address such as Ave. for Avenue, St. for Street, Ln. for Lane and N., S., E. and W. for North, South, East and West.

These quick tips, according to the Post Office, will help save time and aggravation on the part of the postal service and sender.

The holidays are busy but the men and women of the Post Office are here to serve and will be available to accept parcels or answer questions the entire time.

"The Union Post Office will be open for business Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-noon," Fowler said. "The office will be closed Friday, Dec. 25, in observation of the Christmas holiday."

He and his staff at the Union Post Office also have simplified the process for kids to make sure their letters reach Santa in time.

Fowler said kids and parents who want to send a letter to the man in red can do so by addressing it to Santa at the North Pole.

"Letters must have a return address in order to receive a response," he reminded.

They’ve even made it easy to drop the letters for Jolly Old St. Nick.

"A Letter to Santa Box has been placed in the lobby of the Post Office for mailing letters to Santa," Fowler said.

USPS also is making it easier for everyone to send gifts this year with the introduction of its Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes.

"Whether it’s DVDs to L.A. or skates to New York City, Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes let you ship nearly any gift for a low flat rate," said USPS President of Mailing and Shipping Services Robert Bernstock. "Order Flat Rate boxes now and we’ll deliver them to you at no charge in time to ship for the holidays. We’ll even pick up your packages for free, saving you a trip to the Post Office."

Four box sizes are available to fit nearly any holiday gifts.

Small boxes measure nearly nine inches square and two inches deep and are $4.95 to ship. Medium boxes are 11 inches by 8.5 inches and 5.5 inches deep and ship for $10.35. Large flat rate boxes are 12 inches square and 5.5 inches deep and ship for just $13.95 or $10.95 when being shipped to military personnel at APO/FPO addresses overseas. There’s also a medium box nearly 14 inches by 12 inches and just more than three inches deep that ships for $10.35.

The U.S. Postal Service encourages customers to order their Flat Rate boxes by Dec. 10 to receive them in time to ship gifts for the holidays.

To save even more time and money, visit www.usps.com/holiday to:

• Order free Flat Rate boxes.

• Pay postage, print shipping labels and request free packaging pick up.

• Buy holiday stamps.

• Add insurance and get delivery confirmation.

• Create greeting cards with holiday photos.

• And find Post Office locations and hours.

But whatever route customers take or the deadline it entails, the Postal Service, as always is dedicated to getting the mail to where it needs to go on time, according to the Web site.

"Nobody delivers the holidays like the U.S. Postal Service," reads the site’s holiday homepage. "And we have a track record of more than 230 years to prove it. This year will be no exception. We’re expecting more than 16 billion cards, letters and packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve and are ready to do what we do best – pick up and deliver mail and packages. So, whether at the Post Office or online at usps.com, you can count on us for all your holiday mailing needs."