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in Washington on Christmas Eve. You might have to use express mail, though. Some larger urban areas will have mail delivery on Christmas. The Upper Valley post offices, however, will not have Christmas Day delivery.

When is the best time to pick up a package at the local post office? Try the morning and mid-afternoon. The busiest times at the Snoqualmie and North Bend post office are generally when school gets out, and just before closing time at Snoqualmie, around 4:30 p.m.

DeVere reminds residents that North Bend has a will-call window where clerks are more than happy to hand out packages in the early morning hours. The post office staff arrive as early as 4 a.m.

• Contact the U.S. Postal Service at 1 (800) 275-8777 or visit the postal service Web page at www.usps.com.