Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1916-12-08
HURRY CHRISTMAS MAIL.
Day Before Holiday is Sunday and No
Mail Is Delivered That Day.-Com>
pIete Address Is Important.

The postal authorities call attention
to one very important thing in con
nection with Christmas. 1t is that
Christmas comes this year on Monday
and that there is no delivery of mail
Sunday.
In most families Christmas eve is
almost as important date as Christ
mas day itself. Christmas trees are
trimmed and presents for the little folk
are arranged on Christmas ce. Unless
Christmas presents are sent q day or
two earlier than usual this year many
intended for little ones Christmas trees
will be missing just after daylight
Christmas morning.
Everyone knows that the mail car
rers are loaded to the limit for a week
before Christmas day; that teams and
automobiles and extra men are pressed
into service TO aid in the distribution
of packages and letters that are in adj
dition to the regular mails.
Packages and letters mailed so as to
arrive in some town under ordinary
circumstances a day or two before a
certain date in all probability will not
reach their destination on the Saturday
before Christmas because of the tire
mendous increase in the mails at that
time and the inability of the clerks to
distribute them and the carriers TO
handle them.
This means that the postoflices will
be packed to the ceilings Friday and
Saturday and that the carriers will dis
tribute all they possibly can on those
days and will then wait until Monday
Christmas day-when they make only
one delivery. They will be unable to
take out that morning all of the let
tiers and parcels waiting distribution
and many little ones will be disappoint-
ed for Christmas present that is not
OH hand Christmas morning hardly
seems like a Christmas present
This all means that what presents
one has to send out through the mail
should be sent days ahead of the date
Of their probable receipt. Not only
should they be mailed early for the
reason given but because of the fact
that true Christmas spirit will lend all
possible aid to the postal employees in
having a little Christmas holiday
themselves.
Another very important matter is the
proper and complete addressing of ev-
cry piece of mail matter sent out and
the secure fastening of packages. In
the rush and hurry of trying to handle
several times the ordinary amount of
mail matter in a given time improp-
crly addressed or incompletely adj
dressed packages and letters do not aid
the tired postal clerks and carriers.
BE sure that sufficient postage is on
each letter and package. insufficient
postage only holds up the progress of
the article through the mails and causes
unnecessary trouble. Parcels may be
marked mot to be opened until
Christmas" and thus insure their in
spection at the desired time only.
For some time the order that stickers
and adhesive seals other than lawful
postage stamps shall not be used on the
address side of domestic mail matter
has been in effect, but a recent ruling
of the postmaster general has sus-
pended this order between December l,
1916, and January l, 1917, in order to
hold up as little as possible of the do
nestle mail matter.
Christmas seals should be placed on
the address side, to be on the safe side.
Packages addressed to many of the for
eign countries are not acceptable under
the laws of those countries if they have
other than the address and lawful
postage on the address side. 1t should
be remembered that packages and let
ters even for the domestic mails which
bear other than postage stamps on the
address side are treated as unavailable
except during the holiday season.
A recent circular to .postmasters from
the Office of the first assistant post
master geenral treats of improperly ad-
dressed mail.
The delivery of letters, says the. cir
cular, especially in the large cities, is
frequently delayed and often made i'm
possible by the omission of an impor-
tant part of the address, sdch as the
street number, or room number when
addressed to an Office building. Another
source of trouble is the practice of Civ.
ing an address at the intersection of
two streets without giving the location
of the corner, for in some large cities
a large number of the carrier routes
may terminate at the point designated
or it may be the dividing line between
the respective territories of the main
postotfice and g station or between two
stations, and in the absence of the no.
tation "N. E' or n. W." etc, the
distributors are unable to determine to
which carrier the mail should be
thrown.