USPS Holiday Mailing Schedule

It might seem early, and we don’t want to stress you out, but the Postal Service just announced the deadlines for mailing packages and cards to get to their destination in time for Christmas.

Mail-By Dates


November 14: APO/FPO Parcel Post Military Deadline
December 3: Priority Mail International
December 11: Express Mail International
December 14: Parcel Post
December 20: First-Class Mail
December 21: Priority Mail
December 22: Express Mail

One day to note (and to avoid the post office if at all possible) will be Monday, December 17, when more than 655 million pieces of mail are expected to be processed – compared to 538 on an average day.

The Christmas season is one of the busiest for the USPS, which expects a 20 percent increase in business over last year. Other holiday dates to keep in mind: Hanukkah begins in the evening of Saturday, December 8, and Kwanzaa begins on December 26. And yes, the USPS has stamps for them all.