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CHRISTMAS is a time of giving and Dubbo Grove Post Office owners Leanne and Janelle Fulwood have experienced the giving nature of Dubbo residents first-hand in recent times.
The pair have years of postal experience between them, but this is the first year they have owned the Boundary Road office.
Online shopping has taken over Christmas this year, which has lead to an increase in parcels, Ms Fulwood said.
"We've had more parcels than any other year this year," she said.
Recently Australia Post reported Australians spend $15 billion online every year and Christmas was expected to be busier for online shopping and Christmas parcels.
Upgraded parcel processing facilities in Melbourne and Sydney means the post centres can now handle 1.3 million items per day.
An Australia Post spokesperson said the upgrades have come to cope with the influx of Christmas.
"The final weeks before Christmas are our busiest time of the year and we're working around the clock and processing millions of parcels each week," the spokesperson said.
"We've increased resources in our major facilities by around 20 per cent, we have more vehicles on the road than any other transport company in Australia, and we've added significant new parcel processing capability and capacity in our two largest facilities in Sydney and Melbourne."
Ms Fulwood said those looking to send their last minute Christmas parcels may be able to get a delivery to Sydney and the metropolitan areas by Christmas Day.
Australia Post research suggests 18 million more eCards will be sent this festive season- five million fewer cards will be sent as a result.
In the past five years there has been a 45 per cent decrease in the number of Christmas cards sent across the country.
About 75 per cent of people surveyed by Australia Post planned to purchase a gift card this Christmas and the popularity of vouchers continues to rise.
"Gift givers buy gift cards because they are making sure their receiver can get something they want," she said.