HOLIDAY STAMPEDE : CUSTOMERS JAM VALLEY POST OFFICES.

Byline: Jesse Hiestand Staff Writer

With Christmas shoppers hot off a weekend binge, Gabor Kincses knew Monday would be the busiest day of the year at the post office - so he prepared.

``I brought my friend to wait in line for me,'' said Kincses, 41, in the sprawling Van Nuys Post Office along Sherman Way, the San Fernando Valley's postal hub.

Postal workers expected to receive and process about 280 million stamped letters nationwide Monday, compared to about 100 million pieces on an average day.

So as Kincses searched for cardboard envelopes to mail his last gifts, his friend stood grimly, clutching boxes bound for Japan, Canada and Texas. The line snaked through the lobby, stretching the wait from as little as 10 minutes to 40 minutes or more.

``I actually thought it was going to be a lot worse,'' said Kincses of Van Nuys.

Give it time, said postal worker Ed Dacumos, who was assigned to direct traffic through the lobby.

``In the afternoon it's like a zoo,'' he said. ``People are moody after work, they're tired and hungry and just want to get out of here.''

The U.S. Postal Service has hired some 40,000 temporary workers to handle the holiday mail glut. About 400 of them are assigned to the Valley.

The clock is ticking down to Christmas morning, forcing thousands of harried shoppers to haul their cards and gifts to post offices and private shippers, which they did en masse Monday.

``We did all the shopping and packing over the weekend, so today's the day,'' said Tim Scott, 38, who spent his lunch hour as a data analyst sending a bulky gift to his dad in Boston.

``You worry you won't be able to get it there in time,'' said Darlene Burton, a retired bank manager from Van Nuys. Her three packages, bound for relatives in Marietta, Ga., were on their way after a 25 minute wait, the last chore of the season. ``I'm all done now. I can relax.''

In all, the Postal Service handles about 20 billion cards, letters and packages during the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Overnight Express Mail will even be delivered Christmas Day, in some cases by postal carriers dressed as Santa Claus.

``The numbers are almost hard to comprehend,'' said Postal Service spokesman George Marsh said Monday. Long lines are also expected next Monday. ``Today's the busiest mailing day of the year.''

Private packaging and shipping companies are also struggling to keep up with the flow.

``We are so busy right now that I have a line of customers ready to kill me if I don't attend to them,'' said Mike Lopez, owner of a Mail Boxes Etc. in Chatsworth.

For the Postal Service, much of the increased mailing comes in the form of Christmas cards.

At the Van Nuys office, patrons crowded around the stamp machines, gingerly pasting the 33-cent squares on their hand-written cards and letters.

``Usually I just leave it for my postman to pick up, but he's already got too much to do this time of year,'' said Harvey Plante, 48, of Van Nuys as he dropped off 50 Christmas cards.

While the lines were long Monday, many said the wait was not as bad as in previous years.

Of those who did brave the wait, most knew what they were getting into, and some even did so eagerly.

``It gets me out of the office,'' said upbeat Kristeen Medlock, 26, an office assistant tasked with mailing a huge box full of gifts for her boss. ``Unfortunately, my presents aren't ready yet, so I'm just praying they'll get there when I send them.''

MAILING TIPS

Eleven post offices in the San Fernando Valley will be open every day until Christmas, including Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They are the main offices in Woodland Hills, Van Nuys, Canoga Park, Northridge, Burbank and Glendale. Also open every day will be the post offices in Sherman Oaks, Encino Station, West Hills, Studio City Station and the Burbank Downtown Office. For business hours, call [phone].

Parcel post packages can take up to seven days to arrive, so mail them now to ensure delivery by Christmas. More expensive overnight or two-day options will guarantee faster arrival, and the U.S. Postal Service will deliver overnight Express Mail packages on Christmas Day. Letters sent first-class must be mailed by Dec. 20 to arrive by Christmas Eve.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: (color) Customers wait in line to ship cards, letters and parcels Monday at the Van Nuys Post Office, epicenter of activity for the Valley's mail.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

Box: Mailing tips (see text)