It’s not only peak holiday shopping time, it’s a busy shipping time, at the post office. If there’s one thing the Post Office doesn’t want to see, it’s the old stereotype of “brown paper packages tied up with strings.” Postal Service regional spokesman Rich Watkins says customers have a lot of good options for packing things well. Choose a box strong enough to protect the contents, leave space inside the carton, and then pack it in with bubble wrap, styrofoam peanuts or air-popped popcorn which is just about as good and also environmentally friendly Pack the parcel tightly to prevent the contents from shifting, don’t use twiner, and use tape designed for packaging like pressure-sensitive or nylon-reinforced kraft-paper tape. Always put your return address inside the package, just in case, so they’ll know where it came from and pack hollow things like glasses and vases with newspaper or other packing material. If you’re unsure, just go to the site at usps.com and ask what’s safe to ship and how to pack it. Watkins says the post office website will prove a valuable source of information and even let you get a package ready for mailing without a trip to the customer counter. Print labels with their “Click and ship service,” pay for postage online, and give the labeled package to your letter carrier to avoid a trip to the post office.