Don't Wait Too Long to Mail Holiday Packages and Cards

By Jennifer van der Kleut

The holiday season is the busiest time of year for the good 'old post office.

If you—like most of us—have some packages or cards that need to go in the mail this year, here are somehelpful USPS deadlines to keep in mind, to make sure they arrive on time for the holidays.

Monday   Priority Mail International
Dec. 10 APO/FPO Military Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
Dec. 10  Priority Mail Express International
Dec. 14  Standard Post
Dec. 16 Global Express Guaranteed (Asia, Middle East)
Dec. 17 Priority Mail Express Military Service
Dec. 20  First-Class Mail
Dec. 21 Priority Mail
Dec. 23 Priority Mail Express

Note: The deadline for sending something via regular post to an APO/FPO military address has passed—so you'll want to send your package or letter via priority or first-class mail before Dec. 10 to ensure it gets there in time for Christmas.

How busy will the post office be this year? The USPS expects to process 545 million pieces of mail every day throughout this holiday season. That's a whopping 15 billion pieces of mail expected to be delivered between now and New Year’s Eve.

The busiest mailing day this season is projected to be Monday, Dec. 16, when more than 600 million pieces of mail are expected to be processed. The same day, 6 million customers are expected to visit the roughly 31,000 post offices nationwide.