It took a sprinkling of Christmas magic and a helluva lot of hard work but more than 640 million cards, letters and packages were processed nationwide Monday, on what the United States Postal Service described as their busiest day of the year. Fuelled by a surge of online purchases, in many areas deliveries will be made seven days a week, including Christmas Day. However, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe  was confident they could cope, saying they were, 'ready for the rush and ready to deliver.' 'This isn't just our busiest time of year, it's our season,' he said. Dressed in a Santa hat, a postal worker moves a trolley full of packages at a mail processing plant in Indianapolis. Monday was the United States Postal Service's busiest day with more than than 640 million cards, letters and packages processed
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A surge in online purchases has seen last year's total rise by 33 million from 607 million
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Postmaster general Patrick Donahoe said they were ready for the rush
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Extra staff have been taken on at local post offices and processing plants to cope with the demand
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Parcel delivery companies have also seen a spike in their numbers
Amazon said there are just four days left to place an order for free delivery by @placeholder.