Santa might have a magic sleigh to get presents where they need to be on time, but the rest of us have to rely on the mail. If you want your packages to arrive at their destinations by December 25 — in time for Christmas or the first day of Hanukkah — don’t wait to ship them out. Here are the deadlines you need to know if you’re shipping through the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, or FedEx.
USPS
For destinations within the continental U.S., ship by these dates to have them arrive by December 25, USPS says.
- December 18 with USPS Ground Advantage or first-class mail
- December 19 for Priority Mail
- December 21 for Priority Mail Express
If you’re shipping to Hawaii, Alaska, or internationally, you’ll need even more time. Check the USPS website for full guidance. Local post offices are open on Christmas Eve, and regular mail will be delivered. On Christmas Day, post offices will be closed, and regular mail will not be delivered, with the exception of Priority Express mail.
UPS
Here are the dates for packages shipped domestically to arrive by December 24, UPS says.
- December 19 for UPS 3-Day Select
- December 20 for UPS 2nd Day Air
- December 23 for UPS Next Day Air
- For UPS Ground Shipping, use the online calculator to estimate shipping times.
See UPS’s full shipping deadlines for international shipping. UPS has normal delivery service on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, there is no delivery service except UPS Express Critical mail.
FedEx
To get packages to their destinations by December 24, here’s when to ship with FedEx.
- December 13 for Ground Economy
- December 17 for five-day ground shipping and Home Delivery
- December 18 for four-day ground shipping and Home Delivery
- December 19 for three-day ground shipping
- December 19 for FedEx Express Saver
- December 20 for two-day ground shipping and two-to-three-day Home Delivery
- December 20 for FedEx 2Day and 2Day AM
- December 23 for FedEx First Overnight, FedEx Priority Overnight, and FedEx Standard Overnight
- December 24 for FedEx SameDay
See the full chart for international shipping and freight shipping. On Christmas Eve, FedEx offices will have modified hours. There is no shipping on Christmas Day except FedEx Custom Critical.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
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