Your Guide to Holiday Snail Mail

You still can’t send a package through the internet, so as of next week all the major carriers will have Santa’s helpers in place to handle the huge volume of packages that go to and fro for the holidays.

Below is a list of the holidays under consideration and a chart showing the drop-dead mailing dates to make sure your packages, boxes, or bags (and cards, too) arrive at their destination in time.

Domestic Mail Class

Deadline

FIRST CLASS MAIL®

DEC. 20

PRIORITY MAIL®

DEC. 21

EXPRESS MAIL®

DEC. 22 (Check your local Post Office)

PARCEL POST®

DEC. 15

 

Military Mail Addressed To

Express Mail® Military Service

First-Class Mail® Letters/Cards

Priority Mail®

Parcel Airlift Mail

APO / FPO / DPO AE
(Iraq and Afghanistan)
ZIP 093

N/A

Dec. 3

Dec. 3

Dec. 1

APO / FPO / DPO AE
(all others)
ZIPs 090-092, 094-098, 340, 962-966

Dec. 17

Dec.10

Dec. 10

Dec. 3

Holiday dates to keep in mind:

• First night of Hanukkah (Chanukah) - Dec. 20th at Sunset
• Christmas Eve - Dec. 24th
• Christmas Day - Dec. 25th
• Kwanzaa - Dec. 26, 2011 - Jan. 1, 2012

For a complete list of deadlines for shipping overseas, go to USPS or check your local post office.