If you think the icy roads and pavements are hazardous for you, they're just as bad for area postal workers.

Mail carriers all across town have been slipping and sliding with today's slick conditions, but during their busiest time of year with Christmas just a few days away, their hard work doesn't stop - making sure your mail gets delivered.

Ice storms like this most recent one are extremely rare in Great Falls, and while most people avoided going out on the roads - area postal workers had a job to do.

"It's going to be a challenging day for us, but - you know - this is what we do. We deliver the mail, and we'll get it through," said Postmaster Dave Chiavaras.

Yet in spite of the demand of the season - and the dedication of the mail carriers - getting the job done was especially hard today.

Explained Chiavaras, “They're having a real difficult time out there. We're having to be very careful with where we park, they're having to be careful with some of our customers driveways.. We're having to be very careful with some of our customers steps. Driving is obviously hazardous, we've had several different people who've had accidents."

Being out on the slippery mail routes was a challenge not just on the roads, but on foot too.

Postal carrier Jeff Teasley said, “The walking conditions and driving conditions are extremely icy. About every place you walk, it's real slick."

Mail carriers like Teasley were decked out in ice cleats today to get better grip and help keep themselves from sliding - and little tricks like walking on the grass instead of pavement made the journey safer. But there are things that you can do to help make their jobs even easier.

“Putting salt on the steps would help keep the mailman off his backside, and I'd appreciate that. And on days when it snows, clearing the snow off of steps as soon as possible would be good before it gets packed down and becomes slick,” said Teasley.

Added Chiavaras, “If they think about their mailman tonight when they get home - if they take a few minutes and help us out that would make tomorrow a little bit easier." - Dave Chiavaras

With bad weather from coast to coast - and crunch time for that last minute Christmas mail, the Postmaster says that while today is normally the second busiest day for the post office, the icy conditions kept things much quieter than normal today.