If out at the mailbox rises a clatter, the household should not worry to see what’s the matter. The jingle and jangle are not the sounds of Santa getting any early start. Instead, it’s your neighborhood letter carrier making their rounds as early as 6 a.m. to ensure your packages are delivered right “in the nick of time.”

“To keep our promise to deliver the best holiday for you and your loved ones, our carriers will be out making early morning deliveries in many communities throughout the Bay Area,” the Postal Service reported.

As the hustle and bustle of the holiday season gains momentum, the Postal Service wants to keep up the pace.

The fact is parcel volume is still high as online shopping continues to grow, and the Postal Service wants to make sure it meets its commitment to deliver every piece every day.

The holiday is always about people sending their best in greeting cards and gifts to extended family and friends.

“As we continue to navigate through the impacts of the pandemic it is hard to determine what that best might be, but rest assured we will deliver our best in providing certainty and continuity during the holiday, and that means starting early in the morning,” the Postal Service said.

For the 2021 peak season — the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day — the Postal Service (nationwide) will deliver more mail and packages to homes than any other shipper.

It’s anticipated that between 850 million and 950 million packages will be delivered for the holidays. The total number of letters, cards and packages processed and delivered is estimated to be more than 12 billion.

The notion of the “busiest day” is a thing of Christmas past, due to the early online shopping. The forecast shows the busiest week will be Dec. 13 to 18, when nearly 2.3 billion pieces of mail, including greeting cards and packages, will be processed and delivered the week of Dec. 13.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.