Give Santa a helping hand this year. Let the Postal Service pick up holiday gift packages from home — and save a trip to the post office at the same time.

With free package pickup, customers can take advantage of the personal convenience and service of having packages picked up at their home or office. Unlike other shipping companies, free package pickup truly is free. There are no fees for the service. Log on to usps.com/pickup.

Customers simply print Priority Mail and Express Mail labels using Click-N-Ship on the Postal Service Web site and follow the prompts to schedule the free package pickup.

There is no limit to the number of packages that can be sent using the service, but proper postage must be affixed to every package. A letter carrier will pick up the package at no extra charge during the next day’s delivery.

“Carrier Pickup” requests can be made any day of the week at any time, but pickups are made Monday through Saturday while letter carriers are on the job.

“When you’re ready to schedule a pick up, we’ll be ready for you,” said Anita Bizzotto, USPS chief marketing officer and executive vice president. “The convenience of door-to-door delivery is only a click away.”

Free package pickup is only available for packages being sent by Priority Mail or Express Mail, but can be used for domestic or international delivery.

Customers must be present when the letter carrier comes for the package for all international mail. A completed customs form also is needed. There are no such requirements for domestic mail delivery. Customers can leave instructions for the pickup when they schedule the request online.

Packages must be ready by the time the carrier arrives. Requests need to be made by 2 a.m. CT on the day the pickup has been requested. Packages cannot weigh more than 70 pounds.

Customers also can send a very “green” holiday message across town or around the world when sending Priority Mail and Express Mail packages and envelopes. The U.S. Postal Service is the only mailing or shipping company in the nation to achieve “Cradle to Cradle” Certification for human and environmental health. These shipping supplies exceed the highest federal recycling standards. The same box can be used for domestic or international mail.

To ensure that holiday mail reaches its destination in time for the holidays, the Postal Service recommends that all Priority Mail be sent by Dec. 20 and that Express Mail be used after that day.

The Postal Service is the only delivery company that will be collecting or delivering packages the weekend before Christmas. Customers must use Express Mail when mailing over that weekend for delivery by Christmas to be guaranteed.

“The time you save with carrier pickup gives you more time to spend with family and friends this holiday,” Bizzotto said. “The Postal Service Web site is the Post Office that never closes. Visit us online and see all that’s new with today’s mail.”