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Here's when the USPS says you'll want to ship your holiday packages by to get there on time

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FOX Local
Holidays
Published September 22, 2026 6:49 PM MST
Published September 22, 2026 6:49 PM MST
article

A customer packs a box with holiday gifts before mailing a package at the United States Postal Service (USPS) Gardena Post Office in Gardena, California, on December 12, 2025. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)

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The Brief

    • The USPS released its list of deadlines for ensuring that mail and gifts get to their destinations in time for the holidays.
    • The postal service list includes dates for the lower 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories, as well as international and military destinations.
    • The earliest deadline comes in early November.

The holidays are fast approaching, and the U.S. Postal Service wants to make sure that everyone’s Christmas gifts reach their destinations on time. Unfortunately, because postal workers do not have elves or eight tiny reindeer to help them, they need a little more than one night to get all those presents delivered before Christmas morning. 

Timeline:

To help gift-givers know when they have to have their packages picked out and in the mail, the postal service released its list of Christmas shipping dates, including destinations in the U.S., around the world, and on American military bases. 

The exact date oftentimes depends on the destinations. The good news for procrastinators there are Priority Mail services for everyone who has not completed their Christmas shopping before the regular deadline. 

Christmas Deadlines for the U.S.

For packages and mail intended for places in the United States, the deadlines all happen over the course of the week leading up to Christmas Day. However, items that are destined for Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, via the Ground Advantage Service must be shipped a day earlier than if they were going somewhere in the continental U.S. Here are the full lists:

Deadlines for Lower 48 States

USPS Ground Advantage Service - Thursday, Dec. 17

First-Class Mail Service - Thursday, Dec. 17

Priority Mail Service - Friday, Dec. 18

Priority Mail Express Service - Saturday, Dec. 19

Deadlines for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico & U.S. Territories

USPS Ground Advantage Service - Thursday, Dec. 17

First-Class Mail Service - Thursday, Dec. 17

Priority Mail Service - Friday, Dec. 18

Priority Mail Express Service - Saturday, Dec. 19

International and military deadlines

Anyone looking to send presents overseas or to loved ones in the military will have to do their shopping a bit earlier because most of the deadlines come earlier in December. However, there is one - USPS Ground Advantage Service for Military Mail - that pops up in the first week of November. 

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What you can do:

While the deadline dates were designed around mail and packages being delivered by December 25, the postal service added that they are also the recommended deadlines for Kwanzaa and most other end-of-the-year holiday traditions. 

The USPS noted, though, that Hanukkah occurs earlier this year, lasting from December 4-12, and recommended people adjust their shipping dates accordingly.

It went on to offer these four suggestions to help get presents delivered on time.

  1. Check recommended shipping dates.
  2. Get free shipping supplies online or at your local Post Office™ location—see holiday hours.
  3. Print shipping labels.
  4. Schedule a free package pickup.

The Source: Information for this article was taken from the U.S. Postal Service. This story was reported from Orlando.

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