Thanksgiving came a week later than usual this year, and that means some people probably wonâÂÂt mail Christmas cards and packages as early as they usually do.

âÂÂIf anything, people might realize that after Thanksgiving they have only three weeks until Christmas,â said Lawrence Postmaster Bill Reynolds. âÂÂWe hope people wonâÂÂt wait until the last minute.âÂÂ

To be sure Christmas cards and letters are delivered by Dec. 25, get them in the mail no later than Dec. 15, Reynolds said. For packages, Reynolds recommends dropping them off at the post office by Dec. 10.

Nevertheless, Dec. 16 is expected to be the busiest day of the season for postal workers.

âÂÂWeâÂÂve just completed our arrangements, and weâÂÂre trying something new this year,â Reynolds said.

At noon Dec. 9 and Dec. 16, a truck will take a shipment of mail from Lawrence to the regional postal center in Kansas City, Mo., in addition to the usual evening mail shipment, Reynolds said.

âÂÂWeâÂÂd like people to drop off their mail on their way to work instead of on their way from workâ on those two days, Reynolds said.

Reynolds recommends that a sheet of paper with the senderâÂÂs address and the delivery address be placed inside a package as a backup to the addresses on the outside of the package.

âÂÂIf there is any type of damage from an accident, we have people who are allowed to open a package and try to determine where it is supposed to be sent,â Reynolds said.

The budget wonâÂÂt allow temporary or extra workers to be hired to help out this year at LawrenceâÂÂs two post offices, Reynolds said.

But Reynolds noted most Kansas University students leave town over the holidays, and handling the mail for other residents with existing employees shouldnâÂÂt be a problem.

First-class Christmas cards and letters to be mailed to overseas military personnel with APO or FPO addresses should be dropped off by Dec. 11, Reynolds said. The parcel airlift deadline is Dec. 4.