NORWICH – During the holiday season, the United States Postal Service expects to deliver 20 billion pieces of mail. With the increased volume of holiday packages being sent out, the key to having your presents arrive on time is preparation.

The number of first class letters processed daily increases by 50 percent between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The increased amount of mail means you have to plan ahead when mailing holiday packages. The Post Office has released a list of mail-by dates, to help you stay ahead during the holiday season.

Any regular first class mail should be sent by Dec. 18, which, according to the USPS, is expected to be the busiest mailing day of the holiday season. The Postal Service is expecting mail volume to rise from its normal 670 million to approximately 900 million pieces of mail, on Dec. 18. As a result, they expect the busiest delivery day will probably be on Dec. 20.