THE CROFTON post office is almost always busy. Still, during the weeks leading up to Christmas, packages and Christmas cards added to the normal load of letters and bills make this one of the most popular sites in the area.

Just after 9 a.m. yesterday, I took the last space in the parking lot and went inside to join the line that wound across the lobby floor all the way to the door. Experience has taught me that the wait isn't all that bad.

Postmaster Donald Kilby says the goal is for a customer to wait no more than an average of five minutes. Of course, during extra-busy times, this isn't always possible.

I have discovered that by counting the number of people ahead of me in line, I can get a pretty good estimate of how long I will have to wait. Usually, it is about a minute per person. Unfortunately, I faced a line with 15 persons ahead of me.

A man opened the door and joined the line. He tapped his foot impatiently and moved his package from arm to arm. Then, he turned around and stormed out.

Mike Cinek, standing in front of me, smiled knowingly. As a marketer for an Odenton distributor of bowling equipment, Cinek visits the post office almost every day, mailing bowling balls and shoes to keglers all over the world.

Mondays, he says, are always the worst days at post offices, followed closely by Tuesdays after federal holidays. Cinek frequents post offices from Alexandria, Va., to Annapolis, but he said that Crofton's was the fastest and friendliest.

And the line behind me kept growing.

A few friends chatted about neighborhood news, with one person after another joining the conversation.

A brightly wrapped box sits atop the lobby display case, inviting local children to send letters to Santa Claus.

Kilby reports that he is careful to get every letter to Santa so the children can receive replies. Of course, Santa can't promise to give the children every gift they ask for. But he does read their letters and lets them know they are special.

And the line kept growing.

After a postal clerk helped Betty Layton solve a vexing problem, she walked out with a big grin, saying, "They're the best in the world!"

This post office is known for its friendliness. When asked how he finds such welcoming staff, Kilby said, "People ask to come here because this is the kind of place they want to be."

Vickie Bozick, of Tomorrow's Treasures in Crofton, agrees. Whether she needs assistance arranging a bulk mailing or tracing a package through the mail, she is always able to count on the post office staff to be helpful.

Finally, it was my turn. Roger, a postal clerk, weighed and mailed my package and answered my questions.

Next to me Donna, another postal clerk, weighed Cinek's bowling ball to calculate the postage to Guam. She said the strangest thing that she ever mailed was for a parent who sent a fresh pumpkin to his daughter in college (it got there safely).

The most difficult mailing request she has received is for frosted cakes to be mailed without being turned on their sides. With today's mechanized handling, that is a difficult requirement to meet.

And the line kept growing.

But Christmas is just two weeks away.

Chamber meeting

The Greater Crofton Chamber of Commerce will hold a general membership meeting from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. tomorrow at Walden Golf Club. The event will begin with breakfast and a social. Anne Arundel County Councilman Edward R. Reilly will be the speaker. Judy Wilson, the chamber's new executive director, and new board members will be introduced.

The $15 cost of the meeting includes breakfast. Information: 410-721-9131.

Christmas pageant

The children's choir of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Crofton will present a Christmas pageant at 4 p.m. Sunday at the church. Information: Deirdre Henry, 410-721- 6960.

Lunch with Santa

The Arundel Volunteer Fire Department Station 7 on Route 424 near Staples Corner will hold its annual Lunch with Santa on Saturday. Two seatings have been scheduled, at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

The cost is $4 (free for children age 2 and younger). The cost includes lunch, crafts, games and a visit with Santa Claus.

Reservations: Arundel Volunteer Fire Department Community events hot line, 301-267- 8000.