HENRIETTA, N.Y. -- It’s the holiday hustle to get packages mailed on time and safely.

And the US Postal Service says it has developed new procedures in response to changing American shopping habits.

“Used to be like a two-week crunch, and it used to be a lot of letters and cards, and then some packages," said USPS regional spokesperson Karen Mazurkiewicz.

"But what we’re seeing is it’s now a two-month crunch as people are starting to take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. So really for the whole two months we’ve seen that surge in packages, and we’re flexing our network around that.”

That means they’re working hard with extended hours and Sunday delivery in many areas.

“For those who are even more last-minute than myself, I think it will make all of the difference in the world," said Clara Warfield of Henrietta.

“The US Postal Service has to keep up with the other options that are available for people, and I think they’re doing a good job with that," said John Compton of LeRoy.

Even when the Post Office is closed, you can still mail your package domestically at a self-service kiosk. They’re available at 19 locations across our area and accessible 24 hours a day.

To make sure that a package isn’t stolen, the Postal Service recommends tracking it, having a friend or neighbor pick it up, sending it to work or using the new USPS "Informed Delivery" service.

 “It not only allows you to preview your letter mail that you’ll be getting in your mailbox, it alerts you when packages are coming," said Mazurkiewicz. "And you can even give directions to your carrier as to where they could be placed – maybe on the back porch, inside the garage – so you can give them some direction to put it in maybe not as obvious a place as the front porch. So use the technology, use the resources, go to our website, and we can stop these porch pirates from ruining Christmas.”

One local family says they’re not letting the stress ruin their holiday.

“Plan ahead as much as possible, and try not to get too stressed," said Samantha Murray of Brighton. "Try to enjoy the season."

Packages must be shipped by December 19 with first-class mail, December 20 with priority mail, and December 22 with priority mail express in order to assure delivery before Christmas.