Going Postal for the Holidays

If you shop on the internet, or have friends or family who live far away, the holiday season includes some sort of postal service.  Fed-Ex, UPS, DHL (they still exist!), or the good ol' USPS all play a role in just how stressful the holidays will be for you.  When the system works, as it generally does, it's great.  Hooray, your stuff arrived intact.  But when it doesn't, oh man.  Sometimes, there is no time for plan B.