Apart from retail workers, posties are undoubtedly the busiest people during the festive season, ensuring precious cards and parcels reach their destinations before Christmas Day.
Royal Mail may have been founded during the 1500s, but even in the digital age our posties are essential – not just at Christmas but all year round.
And during the last year when Covid kept families and communities apart, posties were often the only person many people saw in lockdown.
As the last Christmas posting date approaches next week, we take a look back at our merry mail carriers of days gone by.
Our posties pound the pavements, battling all sorts of Scottish weather, often experiencing four seasons in one day.
In winter 1972, new ice grips for postmen were tested at Aberdeen Ice Rink to make rounds during slippy and snowy conditions a bit safer.
Postal staff trying out the new footwear were, from left, acting chief inspector John Fisher, postman Robert Dool, acting assistant head postmaster Mr Clark and regional security officer James Keith.
Without posties, children would struggle to get their Christmas lists to the intended recipient – Father Christmas.
In December 1984, Kirsty Younie of Aberdeen Waldorf School made extra sure that her letter made it to the North Pole with a little help from Aberdeen’s postal workers.
Postman Philip Nicol wasn’t feeling the festive spirit at Christmas in 1989 due to the large volume of badly-packaged post in the sorting office.
The stash of cards and gifts that needed repaired and repackaged was stacking up at Royal Mail’s Dee Street office as the last posting date fast approached that year.
The message was clear for Aberdonians ahead of Christmas 1991: post early to get your cards there on time.
Barely able to reach the postbox, little Kelly-Anne Keeling was hot off the mark, posting her letter to Santa in plenty of time, on November 30.
Meanwhile, a furry friend from the pantomime at Inverness’ Eden Court Theatre was on hand to convey the ‘post early’ message in the Highlands in 1991.
Inverness postie Ronnie Munro delivered the bone to Nana the dog, played by Eric Tessier-Lavigne, one of the stars of Peter Pan.
The special delivery at the end of November served as a Royal Mail reminder to get parcels in the post in plenty of time.
Wee angel Catherine Cobb from Mile End Primary helped launch Royal Mail’s Christmas stamp set in Aberdeen in 1991.
The five-year-old was a merry messenger donning a postie’s cap along with her angel costume to bring festive tidings of good cheer to Aberdonians.
The schoolgirl also shared an important message, not a divine proclamation, but a warning to post early.
Postal staff were feline fine at Christmas in 1994 as the cast of Cats from His Majesty’s Theatre reminded people to pop their festive mail in the post.
Stars of the stage Nigel Garton and John Partridge helped postie Stephen Wiseman with his duties at Aberdeen’s sorting office.
Culter postie Ricky Will delivered smiles as well as mail to customers at Christmas in 2006 by trotting around his village round dressed as a turkey.
Community-spirited Ricky had form for festive fancy dress. In other years, he dressed up as a Christmas pudding, Frosty the Snowman and even teamed up with fellow postie Peter Cosgrove to make a Santa and Rudolph duo.
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