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Every December, a group chat somewhere lights up with “wait, when do I have to mail this??” This is the answer, minus the panic.
Christmas falls on a Friday this year. The U.S. Postal Service’s recommended send-by dates for expected delivery before Dec. 25 land in the week before, from Thursday, Dec. 17 to Saturday, Dec. 19, depending on the service. Military and international mail is much earlier. Below you’ll find the dates in plain English, the UPS and FedEx cutoffs we could source, and a simple plan for ordering online so the box shows up before the wrapping paper comes out.
How we pick
- Official dates first. USPS dates come straight from USPS’s own holiday page, newsroom and employee news site.
- UPS and FedEx only where we could source them. Those dates come from a shipping-software company’s 2026 roundup, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the carrier’s site.
- Nothing guaranteed. These are recommended send-by dates, not promises. Weather, distance and the time you drop a package off all matter.
- No fake testing. We haven’t timed any carrier ourselves. Brands can’t pay for a spot.
The short version
- Mailing within the lower 48 states? Send by Thursday, Dec. 17 for USPS Ground Advantage or First-Class Mail, Friday, Dec. 18 for Priority Mail, or Saturday, Dec. 19 for Priority Mail Express.
- Sending to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or a U.S. territory? Skip Ground Advantage this late and look up the delivery estimate. First-Class, Priority and Priority Mail Express share the lower-48 dates.
- Sending abroad with USPS? Most international services are Wednesday, Dec. 9.
- Sending to a military address (APO/FPO/DPO)? Ground Advantage was Wednesday, Nov. 4. Faster services run to Dec. 9 or Dec. 16.
- Celebrating Hanukkah? It runs Dec. 4 to Dec. 12 this year, so USPS says to adjust your dates accordingly.
Then add a buffer. The send-by date is the last sensible day, not the target.
USPS holiday deadlines 2026: lower 48 states
USPS published these on Sept. 22, 2026. They are recommended send-by dates for expected delivery before Dec. 25 to addresses in the contiguous U.S.
| USPS service | Send by |
|---|---|
| USPS Ground Advantage | Thursday, Dec. 17 |
| First-Class Mail (cards and letters) | Thursday, Dec. 17 |
| Priority Mail | Friday, Dec. 18 |
| Priority Mail Express | Saturday, Dec. 19 |
USPS notes that actual delivery can vary based on origin, destination, the time the Post Office accepts your package, and other conditions. In plain terms: dropping a box off at 4:55pm on Dec. 17 in a rural town is not the same as handing it over at 9am in a big city.
Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories
| USPS service | Send by |
|---|---|
| USPS Ground Advantage | Check the estimated delivery date (10+ day service expectation) |
| First-Class Mail | Thursday, Dec. 17 |
| Priority Mail | Friday, Dec. 18 |
| Priority Mail Express | Saturday, Dec. 19 |
USPS says Ground Advantage packages between the lower 48 and Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and several territories have a service expectation of 10 days or more. If you want the cheap option for a package to Honolulu or Anchorage, send it in early December. You can check the expectation for your exact ZIP codes and mailing date with the USPS service commitments tool.
International mail from the U.S.
USPS lists the same dates for every region it shows, including Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia/Pacific and Australia/New Zealand:
| USPS service | Send by |
|---|---|
| First-Class Package International Service | Wednesday, Dec. 9 |
| Priority Mail International | Wednesday, Dec. 9 |
| Priority Mail Express International | Wednesday, Dec. 16 |
Give yourself time to fill in the customs form, so don’t leave an international box until the last lunch break before Dec. 9.
Military mail (APO/FPO/DPO)
This is where people get caught out. For the military ZIP codes USPS lists, the recommended Ground Advantage date was Wednesday, Nov. 4. First-Class Mail and Priority Mail run to Wednesday, Dec. 9, and Priority Mail Express Military to Wednesday, Dec. 16 where it’s offered. It isn’t available to every military Post Office, so ask at your local Post Office. The full table by ZIP code is on the USPS holiday shipping page.
UPS and FedEx holiday deadlines 2026
UPS and FedEx publish their own holiday schedules. The dates below come from Stamps.com’s 2026 holiday deadline roundup (updated Oct. 28, 2026), not from the carriers directly. Confirm on ups.com or fedex.com/holidays before you ship, especially for Ground.
UPS (domestic):
| UPS service | Last day to ship |
|---|---|
| UPS Ground | Check ups.com for details |
| UPS 3 Day Select | Dec. 21 |
| UPS 2nd Day Air | Dec. 22 |
| UPS Next Day Air | Dec. 23 |
FedEx (domestic):
| FedEx service | Last day to ship |
|---|---|
| FedEx Ground Economy | Dec. 15 |
| FedEx Ground / Home Delivery, 5-day transit | Dec. 17 |
| FedEx Ground / Home Delivery, 3-day transit | Dec. 21 |
| FedEx Ground / Home Delivery, 1-day transit | Dec. 23 |
| FedEx 2Day | Dec. 22 |
| FedEx overnight services | Dec. 23 |
FedEx Ground dates depend on how many transit days your route takes, so look up your origin and destination first. The roundup’s own advice is the right one: allow extra time where possible and check each carrier’s delivery estimate for your specific route and service.
When to order gifts online
Online orders add a step the carriers’ tables don’t cover: the store has to pack and hand off your order first. That can take a day or several, and it varies a lot between a big retailer’s warehouse and a small shop making things by hand.
Here’s a plan that keeps things calm:
- Small makers and custom gifts (printed, engraved, handmade): order by late November or the first days of December. Check the shop’s stated processing time, then add the shipping time on top.
- Big online stores: look at the delivery estimate on the product page or at checkout for your ZIP code, not a general rule. If the estimate is already close to Dec. 25 in early December, order now.
- Anything going to Alaska, Hawaii, a territory, overseas or a military address: shop first, in November if you can. Those deadlines come weeks before the others.
- Gifts you’re shipping yourself: aim for the weekend of Dec. 12 to 13 for domestic mail. That gives you most of a week of slack before the USPS dates.
If you miss everything, a gift card, an experience or a “your gift is on the way” printout in a card still counts. Nobody has ever been mad about an IOU attached to something good.
Packing tips that save a trip back to the Post Office
- Use a box that’s a little bigger than the gift, and fill the gaps so nothing rattles.
- Tape every seam, not just the middle flap.
- Put a second address label inside the box in case the outside one gets torn.
- Skip the gift wrap on the outside. Wrap the gift, then put it in a plain shipping box.
- Free supplies: USPS says you can order free shipping supplies and find packaging guidelines and local Post Office hours at usps.com.
If you’d rather not hunt down a box at the last minute, a pack of mailers and a decent tape gun make December a lot less annoying:
Browse poly mailers on Amazon · Browse tape dispensers on Amazon
Still need the actual gift?
Start with our best gifts under $25 for college students, or grab something office-safe from Secret Santa gifts for coworkers in their 20s. Order early and the dates above stop being scary.
FAQ
What’s the last day to mail a Christmas package with USPS in 2026? For the lower 48 states, USPS recommends Saturday, Dec. 19 for Priority Mail Express, the fastest option. For cheaper services, it’s Dec. 17 (Ground Advantage, First-Class Mail) or Dec. 18 (Priority Mail).
Are these delivery dates guaranteed? No. They’re recommended send-by dates for expected delivery. USPS says actual delivery can vary, and these dates are no promise that a specific package arrives on time.
Do these dates change? Carriers can update their schedules, so check the USPS holiday page, ups.com or fedex.com before you send anything important.
When should I send holiday cards? USPS lists Thursday, Dec. 17 for First-Class Mail to the lower 48. If you want cards up on someone’s fridge for a while, send them in early December.