With less than 80 days ‘til Christmas, Postal Service unveils holiday shipping deadlines

Whether you’re using brown-paper packages tied up with string — or something less traditional — this holiday season, the U.S. Postal Service has come out with its recommendations for getting those gifts to loved ones on time.

If you’re hoping to send items to those in the lower-48 states, here are the holiday mailing and shipping dates to keep in mind, according to the USPS.

—USPS Ground Advantage service: Dec. 18

—First-Class Mail service: Dec. 18

—Priority Mail service: Dec. 19

—Priority Mail Express service: Dec. 21

For those with an eye on Alaska and Hawaii, the dates skew earlier:

—USPS Ground Advantage service: Dec. 16

—First-Class Mail service: Dec. 18

—Priority Mail service: Dec. 19

—Priority Mail Express service: Dec. 20

For 2024, the shipping activity is expected to be part of bigger budgets for holiday shopping. While nearly two in three consumers say inflation will probably influence spending this year, overall spending is projected to increase by 7% to an average of $1,638 per shopper, according to a report by PWC.

The holiday season is a busy time for shipping items. Last year, between Nov. 25 and Dec. 18 at about noon, the number of letters, cards and packages that the USPS accepted was more than 9.6 billion, it said.

This year, Hanukkah begins on Dec. 25 and continues until Jan. 2 while Kwanzaa is Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. Beyond the U.S., the USPS suggests checking a list of recommended holiday mailing and shipping dates at usps.com/holidayshippingdates. That goes for military addresses as well.

The U.S. Postal Service urges folks to plan ahead and ship early. For tips on preparing shipments and information on local sites, visit usps.com.