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12
•m HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2008
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of willing individuals who will make
every attempt to have those holiday
treats arrive promptly at their desti
nations around the world.
In the United States alone, 20 bil
lion cards, letters and packages are
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to be delivered between Thanksgiv
ing and Christmas, says the United
States Postal Service. More than
200,000 vehicles are dispatched to
transport that mail, and mail car
riers are instrumental in neighbor
hoods all over the country. Home
pick-ups can also be scheduled if
you can’t make it to the nearest post
office to send your package.
Canadian post offices are also very
busy this time of the year. In fact, for
26 years now Canada Post has offi
cially helped Santa respond to more
than 15 million letters from children.
Children mail letters to Santa to a
special address at the North Pole.
Find the holiday-related words hidden
throughout the puzzle.
CANDLES
. CELEBRATION
* CHRISTMAS
DECEMBER
DECORATIONS
DINNER
"s*. FAMILY
Unsung Holiday Heroes
FESTIVITIES ]
FRIENDS
HOLIDAY
PRESENTS
SAINT NICHOLAS
TREE
WINTER A
Santa Claus
North Pole HOH OHO
Canada
Postal workers and volunteers
make sure that the correspondence
is received and answered to bring
smiles to millions of children.
Apart from the abundance of holi
day greetings this time of year, the
postal system must also face an in
flux of other mail during the season.
Stores tend to send out more flyers
advertising sales, and magazines
may be larger - packed with more
tips, techniques and ads.
The holidays mark a time when
you should give an extra measure of
thanks to your mail carrier for the
hard work he or she does through
out the year. It’s also a time to show
appreciation for the other people in
your community who provide exem
plary service.
The United States Postal Service"
media relations department con
firms that postal employees are not
DID YOU KNOW?.
(MS) - You may have checked your holidayfiist twice; but tliere
may be some people you’re forgetting to recognize. These are the
people who provide you a regular service throughout the year -
ones who would appreciate a year-end holiday gratuity. Certain
people should be tipped because you are grateful for their level of
service throughout the year, including newspaper deliverers, styl
ists, babysitters, etc. Others can be “strategically” tipped to ensure
your service or interaction remains top-notch, including building
superintendents, doormen, or the maitre d’ at a restaurant you
frequent. According to etiquette experts, a gratuity of $lO to S3O
for most service people is adequate. If you use a day care' center,
consider $lO to S7O plus a small gift from the child. For the “stra
tegic tips,” S2O to SIOO may provide you a better level of service.
TREES
Be sure to shake the tree out be
fore you transport it home. This
will loosen any dead branches and
needles, which will make a mess of
your car and home. Most tree lots
and farms will wrap the tree in net
ting so that it stays condensed and
portable for the trip home. Tie it se
curely so you don’t end up with an
airborne tree on the roads home,
which has happened to many
people. Also, be sure to cut off an
inch to two inches of the trunk off
to promote good water absorption
later on.
When the tree is home, care
fully bring it indoors (those door
measurements will come in handy
allowed to accept monetary
tips, but you can show them
a token of your appreciation
by offering a small gift of a
value of around S2O. Think
about something a mail car
rier would enjoy, such as a
gift certificate to a local store,
hand or foot warmers, cook
ies, movie tickets, etc. Make
the gift even more special by
delivering it in person and
adding a personalized note.
This will also ensure your
regular carrier receives the
gift and not a substitute one
covering a route for the holi
days. Canada Post employees
are dissuaded from accepting
holiday gifts, says a govern
ment representative.
Spread a little holiday joy to
local postal workers, even if
it’s a smile and a “thank you”
for a job well done during this
busy season.
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now). Make sure that your tree
stand will fit the circumference of
the tree’s trunk. Do not shave the
sides of the trunk to get it to fit or
you risk compromising how long
the tree will last.
A cut tree first can absorb as
much as 1 gallon of water 24 hours
after it is cut. After that the general
rule is that a tree needs approxi
mately one quart of water per inch
of trunk diameter. Adding special
mixes to the water will not help it
last any longer.
By following these tips you can
ensure you have a beautiful and
healthy tree to enjoy for the dura
tion of the season.