The Hague, December 9 – With Sinterklaas having left the country, the Christmas season is just around the corner. As Christmas trees are being decorated, it is also the perfect time to send Christmas cards. PostNL expects to process millions of Christmas cards. To ensure timely delivery, PostNL is pulling out all the stops by deploying additional staff, emptying mailboxes more frequently, and introducing an extra delivery day on 23 December. To improve the likelihood of on-time delivery, the company advises sending cards by Monday 18 December.
This year, again, people are flooding the orange mailboxes with their Christmas greetings. On average, 3.6 million pieces of Christmas mail are sent daily during the weeks leading up to Christmas. This is over ten times the amount of regular consumer mail sent on an ordinary day outside the holiday season. This highlights the enduring value of Christmas cards and underscores the importance of sharing personal holiday wishes during this festive time.
Maurice Unck, Director of MailNL at PostNL, emphasises that capacity is temporarily expanded to handle the massive influx of Christmas greetings. “Processing all those cards is an impressive task, with our 25,000 postal employees—from sorters to deliverers—working tirelessly to ensure Christmas greetings arrive on time. Even colleagues from headquarters and additional temporary staff are pitching in this year. Whether it storms or freezes, our people are there, making this period truly special. This significant surge in volume shows just how important physical mail still is during the holiday season.”
- Ensure the card is not too small. Cards must be at least 14 x 9 centimeters to pass through sorting machines and fit into delivery bundles.
- Pay attention to a legible address. Creative cards with glitter and decorations are delightful, but a clear address is essential for proper delivery.
- Seal the envelope securely to prevent it from opening in the sorting machine.
- Use special December stamps for your Christmas cards.
- Send cards no later than Monday 18 Decemberto ensure they arrive on time.