Whether you realize it or not, certain community members will be working hard for the next two months to ensure thousands of people’s holiday plans come together seamlessly.
These crusaders, masked as everyday workers, will be putting in overtime and volunteer hours, often only getting a handful of days off in December to spend time with loved ones, all so the season of giving can continue. I’m talking about postal workers — and it’s time we give them a little recognition.
As the daughter of a post master, I grew up with a unique perspective of Canada Post and its operations.
What continues to surprise me each year is truly just how much effort it takes to ensure Santa letters are delivered and returned, packages make it to the intended recipient on time, and the plethora of holiday cards and greetings are not lost in the mix.
Our family came to accept that from November onward, mom’s job becomes infinitely harder.
Each year, she and her staff are run off their feet trying to keep up with the sheer chaos of the additional parcels, flyers, and letters that are sent at this time.
And it’s not just them, it’s every postal worker that has to trudge through the snow to make sure Grandma’s holiday card makes it to her rural postal box. And all the front clerk workers who will see no end to the line ups of people flooding into the post office to purchase last-minute stamps.
And the sorters in the back who would love to sit down for a few minutes, but they just had another delivery truck pull up with a full load and they need to get the flyers into the boxes so they can move onto the next task.
The holidays should not be about the gifts we give or receive, but about the thoughts and intentions behind our actions. And this goes for post office workers too — they are the ones who are responsible for helping thousands of people spread the holiday cheer each year.
And if this isn’t enough to have you thanking your local post office employees, here’s another tidbit for those of you who may be unaware — if you or your child has ever written a letter to Santa at the North Pole, there’s a good chance your local postal employees made sure you got a response from the man in red.
That’s right, these people volunteer their own time as Santa’s elves to put on their writing caps — in this case, red ones trimmed with white fur — to keep Santa alive in the hearts of the thousands of children who write to him. These are not mass-produced form letter responses, these letters are individually read and replied to by real people.
So, have patience this holiday season.
These people are doing their best to make sure this is the best time of year for everyone else.
And take the time to say thank you and happy holidays, ’tis the season after all.
Jordyn Thomson is a reporter for the Penticton Western News. She can be reached by email at Jordyn.Thomson@pentictonwesternnews.com.
To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.
