Want Your Package to Arrive By Christmas? Here’s When To Mail it

I do plenty of online shopping but I still send a few packages in the mail on my own.  If you do too, here's when you need to get things packed up and shipped out so they arrive in time for the holidays.

As of today, Friday, December 6th, the United States Postal Service (USPS) recommends sending standard mail and packages that you NEED to arrive by Christmas, no later than next week (December 14)--and to have all information correct so it gets there on time. Check for exact deadlines for Fed Ex, USPS and UPS here.

If you're behind on your shopping you'd better get to it. It's crunch time for holiday mailing as the USPS reminds us, their busiest time of year is now--between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. 13 billion pieces of mail and packages are processed on average every year, during this period according to USA Today.

The internet is a huge reason the USPS gets busy this time of year, not just from people ORDERING online, but from those orders often being sent back, due to wrong information or the recipient not accepting it, doubling the load on the mail workers.

FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service all expect to deliver a record number of packages this holiday season, which is six days shorter than last year.