Postal employee Bryan Daniels makes a stop on his Christmas Day Express Mail deliveries in Providence.

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The Providence Journal / Kris Craig

PROVIDENCE In a warehouse room at the U.S. Postal Service’s facility at 55 Corliss St., an Iraq war veteran and a mother sat down together at a table early Christmas morning, and began sorting and writing out slips for Christmas packages.

Outside in the city, the streets were quiet, as daybreak came on a beautiful cool winter holiday morning. Bryan Daniels and Penny Manfredo had risen early at their homes, dressed in shirts and pants with the Postal Service logo, before arriving at this hub to sort the Express Mail packages for people living throughout Greater Providence.

Procrastinators anywhere in the United States have a friend in the Postal Service with the Express Mail promising overnight delivery on holidays and weekends, which meant that a bauble bought at a mall somewhere in Ohio on Christmas Eve was going to arrive in Rhode Island on Christmas Day like Santa Claus. On this day, there were Express Mail packages from Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and from as far as China, Taiwan and France, all in time for Christmas for people in Rhode Island.

The real-life “Santa’s helpers” are the postal carriers, who often volunteer for the Christmas Day shift to give their coworkers with young children a chance to spend the holiday at home.

Manfredo, a postal carrier in Rumford, said her three children were grown now, and she wanted to give back to her other coworkers with young families. And she likes delivering to homes with children. On Christmas Day, she said, “the little kids are excited.”

Daniels had just returned from visiting his family in Mississippi; rather than spend the holiday alone, Daniels came to work. This was his second Christmas working for the Postal Service –– before that, he’d spent Christmases in Iraq as a staff sergeant in the Army National Guard and part of the military police unit guarding prisoners.

They were among just 17 postal workers delivering hundreds of last-minute Express Mail packages across the entire Southeastern New England district. Each could end up driving well over a hundred miles, making deliveries as far north as Cohasset, Mass., and down the entire Cape, to the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, and all of Rhode Island down to Westerly and Block Island, said Providence postmaster Daniel Doyle.

After working for the Postal Service for 38 years, Doyle still works on Christmas Day. “I enjoy it. I like to see the activity, and what goes on,” he said, watching as Manfredo, Daniels and supervisor Rich Wilson carried armloads of packages out to their waiting vans. “It’s my chance to come in and see these folks and thank them for what they do.”

Manfredo loaded up her van with packages and envelopes, and carried her Magellan GPS for speedy directions. Daniels preferred his street map book, which he thumbed through after every delivery, because he’d relied on maps in the Army.

Then, they drove out onto deserted city streets and headed for their destinations.

At a large, handsome home on the East Side, Daniels knocked on the door and caught resident Jane Fiori in the middle of wrapping presents. As her two dogs, Lucy and Buck, bounded out tail-wagging to greet Daniels, he handed Fiori her Express Mail envelope.

She was surprised that anyone made deliveries on Christmas Day. As Daniels patted one of the dogs, Fiori laughed about the Christmas celebration she was having, “it’s wonderful –– a houseful of kids and relatives.”

“I’ll be back later for the eggnog,” Daniels joked with her, and then headed to his next destination.

amilkovi@projo.com