Procrastinators who haven’t mailed Christmas cards, letters and packages by Dec. 22 can still get them to their destination on Christmas Day with Express Mail.

The U.S. Postal Service says the guaranteed overnight service is available as late as Christmas Eve at most post offices for guaranteed delivery on Christmas Day.

Dec. 17 was the busiest day of the year for the post office. More than 658 million items were mailed on that day, compared with 528 million pieces on an average day. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, the Postal Service expects to deliver 17.9 billion items.

To ensure that gifts and greetings arrive on time and intact:

-- Use complete addresses on cards, letters and packages, including apartment numbers and suite numbers.

-- Use directionals such as N.E. and N.W. and designations such as St., Ave., and Blvd. – and always include the ZIP code. Find ZIP codes at www.usps.com.

-- When sending packages, use a sturdy container, cushion the contents to prevent movement, include a return address inside, and seal with shipping tape.