There are twelve shipping days left until Christmas. I know, I felt slightly panicked as I read that too. Because I am awful at mailing things. Honestly, just awful at it. And I really dislike going to the post office, for no other reason than I have to make a lot of left hand turns across traffic to get there. I do not like making left hand turns. Like Derek Zoolander, I am not an ambiturner.
There is a UPS Store fairly close to my house though. I actually have to drive past the post office to get to it but this holiday season The UPS Store is offering this super cute free video app service you can add to your packages and that plus the fact that I don’t have to turn left makes it totally worth the trip.
They asked me to try it out and I thought it would be really fun for our out-of-state gift recipients, mostly because the people we mail Christmas gifts to are our grandmothers and grandmothers are the people who DEFINITELY appreciate videos of your cute kid on their package, am I right? I am right.
(By the way, Gran and Mimi, don’t read any more of this post so that your gifts will be a surprise. Thank you and good day.)
So anyhow, I had actually already chosen these sweet recordable ornaments to send to our grandparents this year. I love them so much, I just tucked a picture of Scarlette inside and then she recorded a message in the little voice recorder on the side. Sort of like those recordable storybooks. Aren’t they so cute?
Then I took it and a card to The UPS store. That’s it. I didn’t even box it up or anything because they do all that there for you and they have cute boxes printed with little Christmas scenes and I like that kind of festivity on my shipping boxes. I wanted to take a picture of how cute my box was but there was a bit of a line behind me on account of how I got to The UPS Store ten minutes before it closed because I am a very prompt and punctual person. I didn’t want to hold anyone up with my shipping carton selfies but just imagine cute little reindeer prancing across my shipping box. No pun intended.
I told them I wanted to do the Holiday Happiness App and they printed a sticker to place on my box and gave me the other half of it. I downloaded the free app on my phone, entered the code and then we recorded a 15 second video!
Or actually Scarlette recorded the video because she is apparently very comfortable with technology. She chose the scene that put her face on a snowman and thought it was the funniest thing ever.
When the box arrives at it’s destination, our grandmothers can type the url on the sticker into their phone or pc and watch the video! It’s such a fun little way to add something extra to a gift! If you are sending a present to a child this season, I highly recommend taking the time to do it. It’s really easy to do and I know my four year old LOVES seeing videos of her friends and family. And also of herself. We spend an inordinate amount of time watching videos of her and my dad on my phone.
The UPS Store is generously offering a $50 Visa gift card to one of my readers this holiday season! To enter, just leave a comment sharing who you would share the Holiday Happiness App with this season!
They also shared some holiday season shipping tips, such as:
- Take batteries out of items before shipping. (I had no idea about this!)
- December 15-20 is expected to be the busiest shipping week, and Mondays are typically the busiest shipping days.
- Duct tape is heat sensitive so it comes off when it gets warm, which is why packing tape is a better option. (THIS IS BRAND NEW INFORMATION. I am not even being sarcastic.)
- For the last minute shoppers out there, December 23 is the last day to ship via UPS for Christmas Eve delivery.
For more holiday packing and shipping tips, like how to pack food gifts, visit The UPS Store YouTube channel for a series of helpful videos that discuss the do’s & don’ts of holiday packing, how to pack and ship fragile items, and even tips on how to handle oddly shaped or unique gifts during the holiday season.
