If you want to make sure your cards & parcels are delivered by Christmas... today's the day to send them.

While there may be a small bit of leeway for late senders, An Post says today (Wednesday) is the deadline for regular post for guaranteed delivery nationwide before the big day.

An extra 300 staff were hired to help with the increase in demand this year.

This year, final deliveries are on Saturday (December 23rd), and post offices will close at 1.30pm that day.

Services will resume again on December 28th.

For those who want to ensure the important packages & parcels are delivered in time, An Post's Anna McHugh has some advice.

She said: "There's still a little bit of leeway - but if you want to be absolutely sure [of delivery], get them in the post today.

"We're working 24 hours a day and volumes are very high. We say to people check those addresses; seal those envelopes; and if you're sending parcels use lots of strong paper, lots of tape, and always include a return address."