Once again this year, Swiss Post has delivered millions of Christmas greetings and presents to Swiss households. In the period from 1 December to Christmas it processed above 15 million parcels. On peak days Swiss Post handled over a million parcels and up to 20 million cards and letters, which corresponds to the volumes for the same period in previous years. Swiss Post is also supporting the “2 x Christmas” campaign for the 14th time. Post offices will be accepting parcels of donated goods for those in need and forwarding them to the Swiss Red Cross free of charge until 8^th January 2011.

The Christmas period is always the busiest time of year for Swiss Post staff: between 1 and 24 December, employees processed above 15 million parcels. In the week leading up to Christmas, over a million parcels every day passed through the modern systems at the three sorting centres in Daillens (VD), Frauenfeld (TG) and Härkingen (SO). This is around double the volume compared to a normal working day. Because most customers posted their Christmas parcels in good time and addressed them properly, they were delivered in time for Christmas Eve.

Letter post is the favourite way to send Christmas greetings

The pre-Christmas period was also the busiest time of year in the state-of-the-art mail sorting centres: at peak times up to 20 million cards and letters were processed each day. This, too, is equivalent to approximately twice the volume handled on an average working day.

People still like to send letters – and not just at Christmas. According to Swiss Post projections, the fall in the volume of addressed letters being processed annually is slowing. Whereas the volume of letters processed compared to the previous year fell by 4.7% in 2009, a year heavily affected by the economic crisis, the decline for 2010 is expected to be less than 2%.

Swiss Post is supporting the “2 x Christmas” campaign again this year. Donated goods parcels may be handed in free of charge at any post office until 8 January 2011. Swiss Post will collect the parcels and forward them to the Swiss Red Cross, which distributes the gifts to needy families and individuals or welfare organizations. Donations that are particularly welcome include useful items such as non-perishable foods, toiletries, childcare articles, new (or “as new”) shoes, and school materials. In addition, this year a Postbus will be travelling around the German-speaking and western parts of Switzerland to collect gift parcels from people in the area. A list of places where the Postbus will be stopping is published at www.2xweihnachten.ch.