Gifts, cards, and letters are being sent and exchanged around the globe this time of year.

The United States Post Office is offering some tips for when you send your holiday mail.

Action News Reporter Erin Clark tells us what you can to make sure your package arrives on time.

They refer to it as *the calm before the storm.*

Workers at the main Binghamton Post Office, are cleaning and preparing machinery that will carry holiday mail.

Whether you are mailing a card across town or a package across the country, Mary Martir says sooner is better than later.

"The number one thing we want people to remember is to mail early, we encourage people to mail early." says Martir of the US Postal Service

The post office expects its busiest day to be December 15th.

If you want your mail to get there by Christmas, you'll need to send it by December 20th for US addresses.

And December 11th for international.

Mail for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan has to be sent by December 4th.

A little common sense when preparing packages will ensure a smooth season.

"Put your name inside the box, put some good packaging materials in it, Styrofoam peanuts or bubble wrap. The important thing is to clearly address it and make sure there's a return address on the package as well." says Martir.

Martir says that the best thing to do before going to the Post Office is be prepared.

A visit to the U-S-P-S website can save time in line.

"What a lot of people don't know is that we offer the convenience of doing postage online at home." says Martir.

With the Internet and new sorting technology making things easier, there is still much to be done before the Christmas deadlines.

Martir says people can help spread holiday cheer by keeping sidewalks and walkways free of ice and snow for letter carriers.

The Postal Service says it has been delivering holiday cheer across the nation for 232 years.

More than 3.5 billion letters are usually mailed over the holiday season through post offices.