My kids love getting the mail this time of year and then
fighting over who gets to open the envelopes holding the
Christmas cards. They smile while looking at pictures of friends
they see all the time and some they have never met (yes, Mom and
Dad’s old friends have kids too). These cards are a wonderful
reminder of all the friends and family in our lives. We tape
them on the walls to enjoy them the entire holiday season. So
people all across the country pick out thier cards, address each
one and drop them in the mail. Then what? Did you ever think
about how the mail actually travels? Can you imagine having to
hand deliver each one? Think about the incredible inefficiency
of having to drive to the house or apartment of each family.
Without the post office, you would have to deliver them yourself
or use a high priced courier service to carry each card to their
specific destination. On a typical day, the US Post Office will
handle around 700 million pieces of mail, but some days in
December the volume can excee