POSTAL SERVICE SET FOR CHRISTMAS DAY FILLED WITH DELIVERIES; CARRIERS GET KICK FROM SEASONAL SHIFT.Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer Moving swiftly like so many Santa's elves, postal carriers will fan across the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. today to deliver packages large and small to homes with that last space under the Christmas tree Christmas tree Evergreen tree, usually decorated with lights and ornaments, to celebrate the Christmas season. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands as symbols of eternal life was common among the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. for a special gift. Gleeful glee·ful adj. Full of jubilant delight; joyful. glee  ful·ly adv.glee children and cheery adults will greet them at the door. There may be offerings of cider and candy, a slice of turkey or ham, a piece of cake or pie - but these postal Santa's helpers must stay on the move. Overnight deliveries by the U.S. Postal Service The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) processes and delivers mail to individuals and businesses within the United States. The service seeks to improve its performance through the development of efficient mail-handling systems and operates its own planning and engineering programs. are the only packages in paid transit Christmas Day. Getting gifts delivered on this day is so popular, the Postal Service postal service, arrangements made by a government for the transmission of letters, packages, and periodicals, and for related services. Early courier systems for government use were organized in the Persian Empire under Cyrus, in the Roman Empire, and in medieval more than doubles the number of Express Mail carriers, who like the role. ``We're like the second Santa Claus Santa Claus: see Nicholas, Saint. Santa Claus jolly, gift-giving figure who visits children on Christmas Eve. [Christian Tradition: NCE, 1937] See : Christmas Santa Claus ,'' said Arnold Santa-Isabel, working his sixth year as a postal Santa's helper out of Van Nuys. Maybe there's something in his name that destined des·tine tr.v. des·tined, des·tin·ing, des·tines 1. To determine beforehand; preordain: a foolish scheme destined to fail; a film destined to become a classic. 2. Santa-Isabel for this role. Surely, there's something in his spirit. ``You feel excited delivering their package. Sometimes you get more excited than them because you can't expect how they're going to react.'' Philbert Hernandez knows what to expect heading into Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks on his third time working Christmas Day with overnight packages - and that's what keeps him running. ``Seeing the look on the customers' faces when they say, Oh, you deliver today; we feel good,'' Hernandez said. Seeing a mail van driving through neighborhoods to deliver packages on this holiday might seem strange, but it's nothing new. The Postal Service has offered overnight Express Mail every day of the year, including Sundays and holidays, for more than two decades, said Terri Bouffiou, Postal Service spokeswoman for Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . ``It gets more popular every year. More people find out about it or think about it,'' she said. Some customers might be the ultimate procrastinators who waited until Christmas Eve to ship a gift. Others want to pay the price so a friend or loved will notice their gift. Rates range from $10.75 for anything under 8 ounces to $98.95 for the maximum 70-pound shipment, Bouffiou said. ``It certainly isn't the least expensive way to get it there, but it's very unusual to have someone, maybe in a Santa hat, come and knock on Noun 1. knock on - (rugby) knocking the ball forward while trying to catch it (a foul) rugby, rugby football, rugger - a form of football played with an oval ball rugby, rugby football, rugger - a form of football played with an oval ball your door with a package on Christmas Day. It's very high impact,'' she said. The day will begin at 9 a.m., when mail trucks are unloaded. The carriers then work en masse en masse adv. In one group or body; all together: The protesters marched en masse to the capitol. [French : en, in + masse, mass. , separating packages and envelopes by ZIP code zip code System of postal-zone codes (zip stands for “zone improvement plan”) introduced in the U.S. in 1963 to improve mail delivery and exploit electronic reading and sorting capabilities. and community. Once they know how many pieces are in each area, the load is divided and each carrier notes addresses on large map pages to organize deliveries geographically. They are ready to roll within an hour. ``The packages can be pretty big and pretty heavy. They come in different sizes and colors, they come with ribbon and gift wrapping. You have to handle it like it's your present to these people,'' Santa-Isabel said. Santa-Isabel will lead a crew of eight part-time carriers from Van Nuys in delivering overnight packages in Encino, Sherman Oaks, Panorama City and Van Nuys today. ``To me it's exciting. The feeling is different on Christmas Day,'' he explained. ``I guess I'm a little bit sentimental when I see people really surprised and ecstatic to receive a package on Christmas Day. ``I can buy anything that I want, but the less fortunate people, when they receive an unexpected package, it's a good feeling. I've seen that.'' The holiday pay also is good, but all of them will say that is only one reason they enjoy working this holiday. ``We greet them with a Merry Christmas, and then there's that look on their faces,'' Hernandez explained. ``The money is nice, but it's gone with Christmas presents,'' said Hernandez, a Pierce College In 2006 the Library won a national Excellence award. Academics Pierce College offers associate's degrees, mainly in the arts and sciences. There are also certificate programs in early childhood education, social services, dental hygienist, and others. student who will end his day with Christmas dinner at his family's Simi Valley home. With each delivering an average of eight items an hour, the crew should be done by about 2 p.m. Santa-Isabel said getting home to families is an incentive to deliver the overnight packages swiftly. ``We've got to keep constantly moving from one point to another. The sooner we get done, the sooner the people will get their package and the sooner we get home to our families.'' This year Santa-Isabel had a good reason to stay home Christmas Day. The Burbank resident and California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an , student said his older sister and niece recently moved from the Philippines into his family's home. This is their first Christmas in this country. ``It's not a sacrifice. It's just a commitment to the people,'' he said. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1) Philbert Hernandez will be among Van Nuys post office workers who will be delivering Express Mail packages today. (2) All was not quiet at the Van Nuys post office Christmas Eve as workers prepared for today's Express Mail delivery service. David R. Crane/Daily News |
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