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NEW ORLEANS – More than 20 million packages a day will be delivered this holiday season, and the busiest mail time of the year is next week.

New Orleans Postmaster Matthew Connelly shared with WGNO host LBJ a few things that Connelly said the public has to keep in mind this holiday season.

“This is our time,” Connelly said. “We’ve been doing this for 245 years. This is our season, and we’re ready for it.”

The Carrollton Avenue Post Office has extended its hours on Saturday until 4 p.m., and on Sunday, the doors will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Passports will also be offered on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to Connelly.

As the Christmas holiday approaches, getting packages in the mail becomes more deadline driven.

“We want to make sure that anything going Priority is sent by December 21, and express mail is sent by December 23,” Connelly said. “Don’t wait until the last minute.”

And if you’re expecting packages to arrive on your doorstep when you’re not home, Connelly has a few tips on how to keep these packages safe.

“We actually have a service called Informed Delivery that allows you to get notifications when the package will arrive at your home,” he said. “That will help you to have a better understanding of when it’s coming and maybe you can have somebody there to get it. Another thing is, when you order a package, every service pretty much tells you what day it’s going to arrive. Just be on the lookout for it. A lot of times some of our customers will put boxes on their porch that we’ll put the packages into. There are special instructions – you can ask us maybe to deliver it to a neighbor or something along those lines”