[Trillian]

Last year while I was at the post office lugging all my gifts to ship across the country to all the places my family lives, the Postal clerk said "This is why my family just sends gift cards with a standard stamp -- we save a fortune in postage."

Of course, a small lightweight gift is a good way to go, too. Just dont make the mistakes I usually make, 1) forgetting all about postage factors, 2) budgetting for that postage and 3) the closeness of the date of mailing to the date you want it there.

Now on my calendar, when I mark a birthday, I mark a ship date 5-7 days in advance and the shop date a week prior to the ship date. That way, the steps of the task all get done smoothly and saves stress, frustration, and "expedited fees."