Groton - The Groton Post Office at 100 Plaza Court will be among several in Connecticut open for four hours on the three Sundays leading up to Christmas Day.

The Groton office will be open Sunday, Dec. 7, 14 and 21, from 1 to 5 p.m., for full retail services - including stamp sales and package acceptance. Additionally, the U.S. Postal Service states that in many communities, packages will be delivered on these days as well.

During last year's holiday season, the postal service reports it delivered 434 million packages and 6.4 billion pieces of first-class mail across the nation. Due to continued e-commerce growth and improvements to the Priority Mail product line, the postal service is expecting double-digit growth in its package business this holiday season, likely in the range of 450 to 470 million packages - a roughly 12 percent growth over the same period last year.

The postal service stated that improved Priority Mail tracking and text alerts introduced this year are important enhancements to the free insurance, free tracking and date-specific delivery introduced last year.

"It's all about customer service and convenience, especially during our busiest time of year," the Postal Service's Connecticut Valley District Manager David Mastroianni, who oversees postal operation in CT, MA and RI, said. "Our goal is to exceed the high standard of service we set last year."