PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Mail carriers and delivery workers are busy this week making sure presents and cards will be on time for Christmas Day.
WPTV found a festive postal worker in Port St. Lucie who shows her holiday spirit while making deliveries.
Residents along Phyllis Marino's route can often hear her playing and singing Christmas music while on the job.
The postal employee has been working since 1991.
After more than 30 years, she has the holiday gifting season mastered.
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"There's so much mail to move," Marino said. "People are excited to get packages."
She takes pride in getting packages delivered on time to the 500 homes she delivers to in Port St. Lucie.
"I've got the best customers in Port St. Lucie," Marino said.
With the booming growth across the Treasure Coast, she and her co-workers are getting more customers.
"We're adding more deliveries by the day," Port St. Lucie Postmaster Patrick Cowley said. "With all the growth, it's a huge challenge for us each and every day."
He said it is a challenge that is amplified during the holidays.
"As South Florida as a whole last year, Nov. 24 through Dec. 19, we did about 945,000 parcels," Cowley said. "This year we're at about 13.9 million [parcels], so that's a huge impact on this whole South Florida area."
So behind the scenes nationwide, the U.S. Postal Service this year added hundreds of thousands of sorting machines to separate mail faster and also hired 10,000 seasonal employees.
Employees like Marino are working down to the wire.
"Christmas Day, I get to sleep in," Marino said.
She knows she's helping make magic for her youngest customers.
"I tell them to write to Santa," Marino said.
Cowley said mail carriers are starting their days early at 6 a.m. to ensure all of the deliveries are made while also working weekends.
He said residents who would like to do something special for their mail carrier are welcome to do so, but just make sure gifts are not worth more than $20.
