Marking when to send off your Christmas post with post office pictures

Sending post at Christmas time used to be a complicated and urgent affair, with early send offs required for letters to make it in time for the big day.

Although many are now swapping out the traditional Christmas card for an e-card or even a festive text message, the postal service is still going to face some hefty delivery demands.

READ MORE: Centre near Oxford is now housing illegal immigrants

Royal Mail estimated the number of letter sent in the last three months of last year was 1.65billion, and by December 1 this year, the rate was up by 13.5 per cent.

At Abingdon Post Office alone in 1966, the number of letters and cards posted was up 19 per cent on the year before by December 22 - to 828,000.

Abingdon post office, which saw a busy period at Christmas when the number of letters and cards increased to 828,000 by December 22, 19 per cent higher than the year before, 1966 (Image: Oxford Mail archive)

Royal Mail's last recommended posting date to get letters, cards and packages to their recipients in time for Christmas is Wednesday, December 17 for second class and second class signed for mail.

Help support trusted local news

Sign up for a digital subscription now: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe/

As a digital subscriber you will get:

For first class and first class signed for mail, send it by Saturday, December 20.

If you're in a pinch, send mail tracked 48 hour by Friday, December 19, 24 hour by Monday, December 22, or Special delivery guaranteed by Tuesday, December 23.

This time on looking back, we've found pictures of post offices old and new in Oxfordshire to celebrate card sending this Christmas.