The usual break in mail delivery and post office service will be extended because of a national holiday and a national day of mourning -- causing an unusual, three-day pause in the U.S. Postal Service's operations.

Monday was New Year's Day, a holiday observed by the Postal Service and most other employers. A funeral in Washington, D.C., for former President Gerald Ford will be today. President George Bush ordered all government agencies not essential for national security to be closed today. Add Sunday and that leaves three days with no mail. This has the Postal Service hoping for the best, says U.S. Postal Service customer relations rep for Fort Myers and Cape Coral, Debra Mitchell.

“Our processing center, that’s 24-7, I mean that never shuts down so anytime we have a holiday the delivery end of it has to play catch up. So obviously normally you’re catching up on a lot of times Sunday, Monday – because they’re still processing mail on Sundays – and so now we’re going to have Sunday, Monday, Tuesday to catch up on.”

Mitchell says on Wednesday the carriers will take out all of the first class mail first and the advertising mail will have to catch up on Thursday.