Christmas Rush

The rush of last-minute Christmas packages didn't dim the enthusiasm of Jody Landes at the Coudersport Post Office on Wednesday. Officials at the post offices in Austin, Emporium and Coudersport confirmed the usual volume of mail heading down the stretch. Despite the multi-million-dollar advertising campaigns of Federal Express, UPS and other private delivery services, the U.S. Postal Service remains the preferred carrier for many. "Aside from the thousands of Christmas cards that pass through the post office, either coming or going, we see about a quadrupling of boxes and packages in the two weeks leading up to Christmas," said Coudersport Postmaster Steve Sevinsky. As early of Monday of this week, the U.S. Postal Service was advising customers that they'd be risking late delivery if they waited any longer to send Christmas gifts by mail.