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There's no need to panic right now. You still have plenty of time to ship those holiday gifts to San Antonio, Texas, or Houston or Portland, OR, but there will come a time when panic may set in because the shipping deadlines to send Christmas gifts will be here before you know it.

Procrastinators will want to put these dates in their phone or daily planner, but will most likely put it off for a while - because they're procrastinators!

Once you've done all of your holiday shopping you'll want to get those packages addressed and sent off soon so they'll arrive in time for Christmas. Remember, your packages aren't the only packages going through the delivery system. Yours is one of the millions that mail carriers and delivery people across the US will be handling and delivering this upcoming holiday season.

The United States Postal Service released its shipping and mailing deadlines for the 2023 holiday season. So you better get those Christmas cards written, stamped, and mailed by these dates or they'll arrive late.

The following information covers domestic, international, and military shipping destinations to allow for the timely delivery of cards, letters, and packages by Dec. 25th.

Shipping Deadlines For USPS within the Lower 48 (excludes Alaska and Hawaii)

  • USPS Ground Advantage — Dec. 16
  • First-Class Mail (including greeting cards) — Dec. 16
  • Priority Mail — Dec. 18
  • Priority Mail Express — Dec. 20

Alaska 

  • USPS Ground Advantage — Dec. 16
  • First-Class Mail — Dec. 16
  • Priority Mail — Dec. 18
  • Priority Mail Express — Dec. 20

Hawaii

  • USPS Ground Advantage — Dec. 16
  • First-Class Mail — Dec. 16
  • Priority Mail — Dec. 16
  • Priority Mail Express — Dec. 20

Air/Army Post Office (APO), Fleet Post Office (FPO), Diplomatic Post Office (DPO)

  • USPS Ground Advantage — Nov. 6
  • First-Class Mail — Dec. 9
  • Priority Mail — Dec. 9
  • Priority Mail Express Military Service — Dec. 15*

International mail deadlines will depend upon the destination. Check the International Mail and Shipping Services site for a full deadline schedule.

 

Shipping Deadlines For FedEx

  • FedEx Ground Economy: Wednesday, Dec. 13
  • FedEx Home Delivery, FedEx Ground: Friday, Dec. 15 (Depending on destination, up to Friday, Dec. 22 for 1-day shipping)
  • FedEx Express Saver, FedEx 3Day Freight: Tuesday, Dec. 19
  • FedEx 2Day: Wednesday, Dec. 20
  • FedEx 1Day Freight, FedEx Extra Hours: Thursday, Dec. 21
  • FedEx SameDay: Friday, Dec. 22

 

Shipping Deadlines For UPS

These dates have not been announced as of the time of publication.

With a little preparation your Christmas gifts will make it to their destinations on time and bring some smiles to your relatives and friends' faces and if you do it early enough, you'll save some money too!

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