Last Thursday, Dec. 18, was what UPS calls "Peak Day," when the company delivers more than 20 million packages—or nearly 230 packages a second. But that number is just a sliver of the 300 million parcels delivered over the course of the holiday season, which begins on the day after Thanksgiving and lasts until Christmas Eve.

One familiar UPS driver, however, is no longer part of that picture.

Walter Wikstrom retired from UPS in July after 27 years of delivering to the 95120 ZIP code. This is the first Christmas season since 1976 that he won't be helping Santa on his rounds.

"I was one of those guys who worked a lot of hours, so during Christmas time, I actually worked less," said Wikstrom, who was aided during the holidays with a helper in his truck and a second delivery truck working half his route. "I was invited into a lot of Almaden Christmas parties."

Wikstrom has delivered countless packages to area homes and says he knows almost every face in Almaden, though not necessarily every name.

"I can go into Safeway and introduce you to five people," he says. "I know everybody by their address, not their name. Some people ask, 'How do you know that? Are you Secret Service or something?'"

Many of Wikstrom's frequent customers knew him as "Wally" and even had his cell phone number so they could get in touch with him in case they missed a package delivery.

"I'd tell them if you want to get your package today, just call me and we'll meet up," Wikstrom said.

The usual rendezvous was Burger King on Almaden Expressway, where all the Almaden UPS drivers assemble to collect overnight packages destined for the airport.

Wikstrom began his career with the U.S. Postal Service as one of the first letter carriers for the Crown Boulevard Post Office.

"He was my mailman when I lived on Trinidad," said Julie Rossi. Now a mail carrier herself, Rossi occasionally runs into Wikstrom at a local Almaden restaurant, and they exchange friendly hellos.

"He was just a really cheery guy, always had a big smile," she said. "He always waved when he drove by. He was a very friendly guy."

Wikstrom became a UPS driver in 1976, shortly after the delivery company became the first to serve every address in the contiguous United States—a feat taken for granted in this age of routine global overnight deliveries.

After five years with UPS, Wikstrom also began delivering newspapers for the San Jose Mercury News. He declined a management position within UPS to establish his paper route instead.

"I delivered about 1,000 papers a day," Wikstrom said. His wife helped, as did one of their four children.

"Usually my son would help, or whoever needed extra money," he said, adding that the pay is great for just a couple hours of work each morning. He earns about $6 per house.

Wikstrom still delivers newspapers, although only to about 300 houses now. He delivers the papers between 4:30 and 6:30 a.m. Then he goes home and back to bed. Even when he delivered for UPS, he took a short nap after delivering the papers before heading to work.

Wikstrom's UPS job offered unexpected perks, including limitless exercise. "I'm out walking all day long," he said. "It's not forced exercise, and I like the interaction with customers."

One Saturday, Wikstrom asked his regular customer Jack Campbell about an envelope package that required his signature. Campbell opened the envelope containing his San Jose Sharks season tickets and invited Wikstrom to join him for a game.

"He goes to the Sharks game with me once or twice a year," said Campbell. "We sort of became friends. We go out and play golf sometimes, too."

Campbell has been an Almaden resident since 1980, almost as long as Wikstrom has worn the famous brown UPS uniform.

"If I saw him, I'd wave or honk at him," Campbell said. "If he was out on his route and on his way home, he'd usually stop and we'd chat."

Perks also included free rounds of golf at the Almaden Country Club, where he made regular deliveries, and free advice from several CPAs, doctors and lawyers on his route. One of his customers, a real estate broker, even helped him sell his house.

Perks, however, didn't include using the company truck to go to the movie theater with his wife. Wikstrom found that out the hard way.

"They fired me for going to a movie," Wikstrom said. He wanted to see a movie, so he punched off the clock at 5:30 p.m., but instead of driving to the office to swap the UPS truck for his own car, he just met his wife at the theater and parked the noticeable brown truck out front.

"I was off the clock, but when I walked out of the theater, two bosses were waiting for me," Wikstrom said.

After 15 years of service, Wikstrom was officially fired "for using the truck as a taxi," he said. However, his manager determined the punishment was too harsh and reinstated Wikstrom 23 days later.

Wikstrom has witnessed many changes in Almaden over the course of his career, including the closure of a few restaurants and retail establishments as national conglomerates brought lower prices and more selection to the area.

He also watched the housing sprawl take over the area. His first route took him to a private dairy farm at the end of McAbee Road when "it was all dirt back there," he said. At the time, Almaden only consisted of one and a half routes; now there are four to five.

Wikstrom defines a route as a nine-hour day, just enough time for him to deliver all his packages and take a couple breaks. He adds that UPS gauges the routes so precisely that even on a delay-free day, the driver may only save himself 30 minutes.

After 31 years in Almaden, Wikstrom said he'll miss his customers, but he's looking forward to moving into his new house in Clovis, where he and his wife will be closer to one of their daughters.

"Being the UPS guy was fun," Wikstrom said. "I liked getting to know people and listening to their stories. It was fun."