I remember one year, I had a stack of twelve cards and it was 4:55 PM on the Last Posting Day for 2nd Class. The postbox down the road had a collection time of 5:00 PM. I did a full-on Olympic sprint in the rain. I looked like a lunatic, clutching wet envelopes and shouting, “Wait for me, Royal Mail!”
I made it. I shoved them in with a triumphant grunt. I felt like I had won a gold medal in Procrastination. A week later, one of those cards came back because I’d used a First Class stamp on a Second Class envelope. The universe has a sense of humour, and it is a pedantic postie.
The moral of the story? The Last Posting Day for 2nd Class is not a suggestion; it’s a threat. It’s the line in the sand that divides the organized people from the rest of us mortals. If you are reading this and haven’t posted your cards yet, put down your phone. Now. Run. And maybe use First Class this time. You’ve been warned.
So, as the deadline looms, just remember: it’s okay to be a little late. Your Aunt Carol will still love you. But your letter might be spending Christmas in a sorting office in Swindon, enjoying a tiny, cardboard holiday. And honestly? It probably deserves a rest.
