MILWAUKEE — The most wonderful time of the year is also the busiest time of the year for the United States Postal Service.

As gift givers and Christmas card writers scramble to get their items in the mail before the holiday, staff at USPS works overtime to get packages where they need to go. 

At the Milwaukee Annex in Oak Creek, the staff has kept busy. The facility processes all packages shipped in or out of the Milwaukee metro area. On any given day during the holiday season, they can process up to 350,000 packages. 

Julia Cole is one of many people tasked with sorting packages. Cole, who works at the facility seasonally, said that while it is hard work, she knows it makes a difference. 

“I feel like I am doing a good service to the community. That is why I came back for the Christmas help because I feel I am doing good for the community,” said Cole.

Taunya Lewis manages the Milwaukee plant for USPS. Lewis said she has seen the volume of packages shipped at the holidays increase significantly over her 27 years with the post office.

Lewis said it takes year round planning to ensure she will have the necessary staffing and equipment to tackle the holiday season. 

“We start planning for peak season as soon as peak season is done. We start in January with realizing what kind of equipment we are going to deploy,” said Lewis.

Lewis said package volume keeps growing annually. She estimated the Milwaukee Annex will process around eight million packages in 2023. ​