The U.S. Postal Service says the deadline is tonight for Iowans who have holiday packages they want to arrive at their domestic destinations before Christmas.

Jennifer Caccavo, a spokeswoman for FedEx in Council Bluffs, says last-minute shoppers actually have several more days using that alternative delivery company.

“I think our entire business was built on procrastinators so we have a full appreciation for them and take good care of them,” Caccavo says.

FedEx is seeing its busiest shipping season on record and expects to move 260-million packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Caccavo says Iowans have until the end of the week to get their packages wrapped, addressed and hauled to the counter.

“Friday, December 23rd is the absolute last day you can ship a package to have it delivered overnight on Saturday, December 24th,” Caccavo says. “If you can ship earlier, I do recommend it. That will save you some time waiting in lines and also some money.”

She says the two- or three-day services will make shipping less expensive.

Caccavo says there are several reasons business is up.

“We’re seeing a big increase from last year,” she says. “We’re looking at 10 to 12% increase from year-to-year. A big piece of that is on-line shopping. A lot of people don’t have time to get to the mall or appreciate the sales on Cyber Monday and are shipping a lot of their packages to themselves or directly to their loved ones.”

Caccavo says holiday shipping is good for the economy. FedEx added about 20,000 seasonal employees nationwide to help with the load.