Mailing A Package For Christmas? Here Are The Post Office Deadlines

December 13, 2022

This is the last week to get holiday gifts and greetings in the mail by the recommended deadlines. Customer traffic at all post office locations has been steadily increasing since December. 5, and this week is expected to be the busiest, according to the U.S. Postal Service.

The postal service recommends the following Christmas shipping deadlines:

  • Dec. 16 — APO/FPO/DPO (except zip 093) USPS Priority Mail Express Military service
  • Dec. 17 — USPS Retail Ground service
  • Dec. 17 — First-Class Mail service (including greeting cards)
  • Dec. 17 — First-Class packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
  • Dec. 19 — Priority Mail service
  • Dec. 23 — Priority Mail Express service

And the deadlines are a bit different if you are shipping to Alaska or Hawaii:

Alaska

  • Dec. 18 — Alaska to/from continental U.S.– First-Class Mail and Priority Mail
  • Dec. 21 — Alaska to/from continental U.S.– Priority Mail Express

Hawaii

  • Dec. 17 — Hawaii to/from mainland – First-Class Mail and Priority Mail
  • Dec. 21 — Hawaii to/from mainland – Priority Mail Express

And here are some other helpful tips from the post office:

  • Packages containing used electronics or other hazardous materials — lithium ion batteries, in particular — must now be shipped via surface transportation using Parcel Select Ground, USPS Retail Ground, Parcel Return Service or Ground Return Service.
  • Certain items may have restrictions or prohibitions when sent through the mail. See the list of hazardous, restricted and perishable mail or ask a Postal Service employee for more information on what can and cannot be sent through the mail.
  • Mail and packages that weigh more than 10 ounces and/or are more than a half-inch thick and use stamps as postage cannot be dropped into a collection box or left for a carrier to pick up. Instead, take them to a retail associate at a  post office location. This requirement does not apply to Click-N-Ship customers.

Pictured: The Cantonment Post Office. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News