People lined up with boxes filled with holiday gifts needing to be mailed, Making this the busiest day of the year at post offices nationwide.
     And the post office on 34th Street in Gainesville was no exception.
     So you had to take a number... and be prepared to wait.
     "I was expecting to wait about 45 minutes," Melissa Morris, customer, said.
     Rebecca Cobb and Rebecca Parkison are mailing care packages to troops in Iraq.
     Cobb's brother is in the military, and she says she wanted to send him something to get him in the holiday spirit.
     "My brother loves oatmeal cream pies," Cobb said.
      But the packages won't make it on time for Christmas.  The deadline for mail going to Iraq or Afghanistan was December 4th.     
     And the deadline for mail staying in the U.S. to make it to its destination before the holidays is fast approaching.
     Officials from the post office say it's always been the Monday before Christmas week... that's been the busiest for them.  About 130 million people visit the post offices during the holiday season nationwide.
     "A lot of people have done their Christmas shopping and they're going to make sure they get them in the mail so they get there by Christmas," Jason Knott, Customer Relations, said.
       This coming Saturday the 20th is the last day you can mail your packages First-Class or Priority to guarantee they will arrive by Christmas.  
     And December 23rd is the last day for Express Mail.