ALAMEDA (KRON) — People packed Bay Area post offices on Tuesday trying to get their packages in before the holiday shipping deadline–and time is running out.

The doors closed to a San Jose post office around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. People were inside packing gifts into boxes and getting them ready to be shipped off.

Although the counter may be closed, there’s a lot happening behind the scenes. People are working around the clock in the “processing and distribution” center.

The sophisticated package sorting system is equipped to handle large volumes during the holidays. So, as soon as packages or mail come in, they get processed right away.

This is, by far, the most hectic mailing period of the year. It’s the busiest week for shipping and delivery, so of course, during this peak time, it’s all hands on deck.

In addition, there are about 400 seasonal employees throughout the district. Right now, you can get your packages delivered before Christmas by using priority mail, but once Dec. 22 gets here, you’ll need Priority Express.

“Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, we would have processed over 250 million pieces of mail through this building alone,” United States Postal Service employee Augustine Ruiz said. “Like just tonight, they’re gonna handle 7 million pieces of mail and about 165 thousand packages.”

It’s definitely a smooth operation at this processing center.

For those that are into last-minute gift giving, carriers will continue to deliver–even on Christmas Day.

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