Thanksgiving is over, and most of us are now officially embracing the holiday season. My decorations and Christmas tree are finally up, and it’s been lovely to drive through the neighborhood in the evening to see everyone’s outdoor lights. While I’m pretty good about getting my decorations up as soon as Thanksgiving is over, I am notorious for waiting until the almost-last minute to buy Christmas presents. I’m not a Christmas Eve-shopper, but I don’t feel that panicked urge to start checking gifts off my list until somewhere around Dec. 20.

Last year, this relaxed approach ended up costing me money. I ordered an item for my son that was out-of-stock everywhere but the company’s website, but because it was so close to Christmas, I ended up paying extra to have it shipped in time. I learned from my mistake, though, and this year, I bought in-store or ordered most of my kids’ gifts already. I haven’t even started on family and friends’ gifts, though, and I know the clock is ticking to get them mailed out in time for Christmas. A large part of me really just doesn’t want to deal with the post office lines. If you’re like me, you’re in luck! People created a nice little cheatsheet with all of the cut-off dates for mailing packages to the United States and abroad through USPS.

The last day to mail out Christmas gifts through USPS: According to the USPS website, if you are shipping within the contiguous U.S. — which includes the 48 states and Washington, D.C., but excludes Alaska and Hawaii — the deadline for mailing using USPS Ground Advantage Service and First-Class Mail Service is Dec. 17. For Priority Mail Service, the deadline is Dec. 18, and those using Priority Mail Express Service have until Dec. 20 to ship their packages.

For customers shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories, the services and corresponding dates are the same except for USPS Ground Advantage Service. The USPS recommends mailing one day earlier on Dec. 16 to ensure timely delivery.

The last day to ship out international packages for Christmas using USPS: Shipping dates for international packages vary depending on the destination country. Places like Africa, Canada, Europe, Mexico, and others have recommended ship-by dates of Dec. 9 and Dec. 16. For packages going to Central and South America, Dec. 2 is the suggested holiday ship-by date. For a complete summary of areas in the world and deadlines, head to the USPS website, which notes for international shipping, “Actual delivery date may vary depending on origin, destination, Post Office acceptance date and time and other conditions.”

Are U.S. post offices open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Post offices will be open on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, but the USPS suggests checking your local post office for specific hours, per its website. Regular mail and Priority Mail Express will both be delivered on Christmas Eve. Post offices will be closed on Christmas Day. Regular mail will not be delivered, but Priority Mail Express will continue to make some last-minute drop-offs.

USPS’ price changes for the 2025 holiday season: [I]n August 2025, the USPS announced that there would be a temporary price increase “for some package services for the 2025 peak holiday season.”

“This temporary price adjustment is to help cover extra handling costs to ensure a successful peak season,” read the press release. The price increase impacts the following services: Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select. The rise in cost started on Oct. 5 and will stay in effect through Jan. 18.

“This seasonal adjustment will bring prices for the Postal Service’s retail and commercial customers in line with competitive practices,” the USPS said in a statement. The price increase depends on the mail service used, weight and the zones to which the items are being shipped. The change in cost ranges from a 30-cent increase to $16.

[From People]

Here is the full list of holiday shipping dates from the USPS holiday website. The good news is that most of us still have some time to make sure our packages are delivered by Christmas! Obviously, it depends on where you live, but anecdotally, the best days and times to get in line to mail something is Tues – Thurs around 10:00 a.m. and then again between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. (Source: the Google Gemini results that came up when I asked regular Google for the answer, but none of their links were great, hence the “anecdotal.”) I feel like strategizing for holiday mailing hours is the same as trying to figure out the best time to get gas at Costco, which in my personal experience is before 10:00 a.m. on a Monday.

I hadn’t realized that the post office was raising rates for the season in order to be “in line with competitive prices.” Isn’t the whole point of a government-run entity to not be competing with the free market? I can understand the reasoning regarding increased labor costs, but aren’t people more incentivized to mail packages from whoever is offering it the cheapest? (FWIW, the comments about the price hikes on this Magic the Gathering Reddit thread that I found are on point.) Finally, the USPS also has a live holiday counter that keeps track of all of the mail and packages it’s processing in real-time, which I am absolutely nerdy enough to find fascinating.

Photos credit: RDNE Stock Project and Liza Summer on Pexels, Julianna Arjes on Unsplash