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Okay, you guys. The holidays are rapidly approaching, and I have a horrible knack for procrastinating when it comes to buying and shipping my Christmas presents. Last year was a disaster and a half, when I ended up shipping my gifts way too late in the game, so the gifts didn’t arrive 'til the freakin’ New Year approached. Yeah. Epic fail on my part. Needless to say, my nieces and nephews were not amused by this little mistake of mine, in which their presents arrived days later. Sorry, guys!
If you want to learn from my glorious mistakes, you’re going to want to take action and send out your presents to your doorstep or your loved ones' homes before time runs out. When it comes to the United States Postal Service, there are specific mailing deadlines for sending your gifts. Fortunately, there’s still time to get the job done, but you’re gonna want to act fast.
Scroll to find out everything you need to know about the USPS shipping deadline for Christmas in 2025!
First of all: The post office is closed on Christmas day.
Where are all my true procrastinators when it comes to sending out Christmas gifts? I want to see a show of hands of people who tried to ship out holiday presents on December 25th. Now that’s what I call living life on the edge. (Santa has you on the naughty list for waiting till the very last minute!)
So if you were planning on sending out Christmas presents on the day of the holiday itself, you’re gonna want to think again. Newsflash: it ain’t happening. The post office is closed on Christmas Day so that employees can spend the season with loved ones. However, there will be some last-minute drop-offs for Priority Mail Express. With this in mind, you’ll want to make sure you get your stuff out ahead of time. The good news, though, is that the post office will be open on December 24th, on Christmas Eve. However, you should still check your local post office’s hours.
So what is the deadline to mail your Christmas gifts in 2025?
For everyone living in the US (excluding Alaska and Hawaii), the deadline for sending mail is December 17th. This applies to First Class Mail and USPS Ground Advantage Service.
What's the Priority Mail Service deadline to mail your Christmas gifts?
The deadline for Priority Mail Service is December 18th. However, anyone using Priority Mail Express Service gets an extra few days, as that deadline is on December 20th.
When is the deadline to mail your Christmas gifts in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico?
If you’re shipping packages to these US territories, the same dates apply, except for USPS Ground Advantage Services. It’s recommended that you mail a day earlier, on December 16th.
When is the international deadline to ship your Christmas presents?
If you’re sending packages out to Africa, Canada, Europe, or Mexico, it’s estimated that you ship from December 9th through December 16th. Central and South America shipments should have been made by December 2nd.
TLDR: Planning Ahead Is The Key To Success
While this time of year can be incredibly stressful with all the endless gift purchases and exchanges, it doesn’t have to be. Simply planning your send-off dates ahead of time is the best way to ensure you don’t have a slip-up as I did during my festivities last year, when I got lazy and essentially ruined Christmas. At least, according to my temper tantrum-inclined nephew, I did (my bad, Andrew. Seriously, my bad. This year I’ll be mailing your gifts way ahead of schedule, I promise.)
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