GRASS VALLEY, Calif. December 18, 2025 – This time of year, U.S. Postal Service Carrier Jesse Mehew works 10 to 12 hour shifts and walks 11.5 miles a day – roughly 26,000 steps – delivering mail and holiday packages to 712 customers on his route in Grass Valley.
The holidays can be intense but Mehew, wearing a big smile and Santa hat, keeps things in stride as he hustles along his route. He’s developed his own method of staying calm when the pressure is on.
“I just stop, take a breath and move on. We do one mailbox at a time,” he said.
Just this week he has been delivering over 315 parcels a day, which is double the normal volume he receives. His is one of 32 routes in Grass Valley, in total delivering anywhere between 10,500 to 14,500 packages daily during the holiday rush compared to 8,000 in the offseason. This week, the Grass Valley team delivered 74,167 parcels.
On Wednesday, he stopped to chat during deliveries to downtown businesses up and down Mill Street. Everywhere he goes, customers are happy to see him and grateful for his service.
“We can’t do our job without Jesse doing his job. (Postal carriers) help our business. Jesse is amazing,” said Kalika Fogleman, owner of Elevate Athleisure on Mill Street.
“I love making my customers happy,” said Mehew, who is also known to dress up as the Grinch. During the pandemic he dressed up like Spiderman and Superman to cheer up the kids stuck at home.
Holiday lines are long and the Post Office gets plenty of calls from people wondering about their packages, but for the most part, happy people outnumber the grumpy ones, said Postmaster Nicole Schoppe.
It takes a team of 82 people in Grass Valley working round the clock to sort and deliver essential goods and warm holiday cheer to every mailbox and doorstep in December. Nationally, USPS adds 14,000 seasonal employees during the holidays to help deliver 88 million packages per day.
As Schoppe and Mehew stand on the corner of Mill and Neal Streets, a UPS driver passes by, yelling in fun, “aww, get back to work.” They laugh and wave at their friend and call out a greeting to another man with FedEx who hurries by.
Mehew starts every day at 8 a.m. and doesn’t end the day until after dark. After loading up his truck, he drives to his route and parks his truck. He enjoys walking the neighborhoods and business district, spending time outside and developing a rapport with the people he serves.
He started right before the pandemic when Amazon deliveries were ramping up, and has been full time for the last five years. Many folks on his route know him by first name and ask about his family. Along the route, customers even offer treats like chocolate, cookies, hot coffee and bottled water, or make sure to stock mini-fridges and “goodie bins” with drinks and snacks on the porch for carriers.
“The community really cares. It’s really nice to see the compassion for these carriers. The generosity of the community is profound,” said Postmaster Nicole Schoppe.
Just a friendly reminder. Wednesday, Dec. 18 is the last day to send packages by Priority Mail for expected delivery before Christmas. The last day to send by Priority Mail Express is Dec. 20. Locally, there are post offices in Nevada City, Grass Valley, Penn Valley, Cedar Ridge and both SPD Markets.
For a complete list of suggested dates for customers sending packages to military or international addresses, the Postal Service recommends visiting the USPS holiday shipping page. For tips on mailing and shipping preparation, ordering free shipping supplies, packaging guidelines (including restricted and prohibited item information), and Post Office location hours, visit usps.com or the USPS YouTube channel.