CLAYTON-- It's the season of giving and Rabun residents are feeling generous as high volumes of packages travel through the Clayton Post Office every day.
"The volume is outrageous right now," said Postmaster Charles Clay.
He said that postal workers begin work around 5:30-6 a.m. "just to get a head start on the day."
Acting Supervisor Colby Nichols said that residents can expect mail to be delivered as late as 6 p.m.
He said that the post office hired additional employees for the holidays to ensure deliveries are made on time without delay.
Nichols said that workers are coming in early and staying late in order to process the high volume quickly.
Mail-by dates for expected delivery before December 25 are:
-December 15 for USPS retail ground
-December 18 for first-class mail
-December 19 for priority mail
-December 23 for priority mail express.
USPS Operation Santa
Santa Claus is accepting letters at the North Pole until December 15 from children all around the nation.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) Operation Santa 2020 is nationwide this year and letters received can be viewed digitally.
Operation Santa makes it possible for individuals and organizations to adopt letters sent to Santa from children and families and send hand-written responses and thoughtful gifts in Santa's place, according to the USPS website.
Customers can browse through letters online and can adopt one that touches them to help bless a child this holiday season.
"The Postal Service, then the Post Office Department, began receiving letters to Santa more than 100 years ago. In 1912 Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized local Postmasters to allow postal employees and citizens to respond to the letters," according to the website.
The mail volume for Santa increased so much in the 1940s that charitable organizations and corporations began participating by providing written responses and small gifts.
How to send letters to Santa:
1.The mailing address should be placed in the middle of the envelope addressed to:
Santa Claus
123 Elf Road
North Pole, 88888
2. Write your full name and address in the upper left corner.
3. Apply a first-class stamp in the upper right.
Letters can be mailed from any post office in Rabun County.
The letters must be addressed exactly this way in order for them to be accepted.
It's important to include sizes and colors when requesting clothes and shoes. Requests for toys, games and books are asked to be specific.
Letters received before December 15 will populate on the USPSOperationSanta.com website and be made available for adoption.
How to adopt a letter:
Customers can go to USPSOperationSanta.com and scroll through letters to find one that tugs on their heartstrings and puts them in the giving spirit to adopt.
Visit USPSOperationSanta.com for steps on how to send gifts to children and for more information on Operation Santa.
"The mission of the USPS Operation Santa is to provide a channel where people can give back and help children and families in need-enabling them to have a magical holiday when they otherwise might not-one letter at a time," according to the website.