'Tis the season for shipping delays, so make sure you know the last day to mail Christmas packages so your gifts get there before the holiday
While it’s tempting to spend ages searching for the perfect gift for your impossible-to-shop-for family member, don’t wait until the last day to mail Christmas packages. Santa may be able to deliver all the world’s presents in a single night, but shipping companies can’t, so packages mailed at the last minute may not arrive in time for the holidays. Talk about a letdown!
One other wrinkle: Shipping prices are going up this year—way up. That’s why it’s so important to know the Christmas deadlines for various shipping companies. Cutoff dates matter even if you’re shopping online, because stores like Target, Walmart and Nordstrom rely on the United States Postal Service (USPS), United Parcel Service (UPS) and FedEx to deliver their goods too. (Store websites may give you an order-by date if you want the package to arrive before Christmas, but knowing before you shop will surely reduce your stress!)
So leave last-minute holiday shipping to the masses. After all, wouldn’t you rather be snuggled up watching a Christmas movie than standing in line for hours at the post office? Keep reading to learn every shipping deadline so that your gifts make it to where they need to go with time to spare.
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The U.S. Postal Service
To get your gifts under the tree of your far-flung friends and relatives by Dec. 25, follow the USPS-recommended ship-by dates below. These dates apply to delivery in the 48 contiguous United States, so ship a couple of days earlier to or from Hawaii and Alaska.
- USPS Ground Advantage Service: Dec. 17
- First-Class Mail Service: Dec. 17
- Priority Mail Service: Dec. 18
- Priority Mail Express Service: Dec. 20
If you’re sending Hanukkah gifts, you’d better get on it: Hanukkah runs from Dec. 14 to Dec. 22 in 2025. For Kwanzaa gifts, you have a little more lead time, as it runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 every year.
UPS
For UPS Ground, the company provides an online calculator to determine the last day to mail Christmas packages based on on your location and where you are shipping to. Here are the general shipping deadlines for other domestic UPS services:
- UPS 3 Day Select: Dec. 19
- UPS 2nd Day Air: Dec. 22
- UPS Next Day Air: Dec. 23
FedEx
If you’re using FedEx to deliver your gifts by Dec. 25, here are the suggested ship-by dates. You can actually wait as long as Dec. 24 (yep, Christmas Eve) if you’re willing to pay for FedEx SameDay delivery, but that service is very pricey (the total cost depends on your package’s destination and weight, among other things).
- FedEx Ground Economy: Dec. 15
- FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery: Dec. 17 to Dec. 23, depending on whether you choose one-, two-, three-, four- or five-day delivery
- FedEx Express Saver: Dec. 20
- FedEx 2Day and FedEx 2Day AM: Dec. 22
- FedEx First Overnight, FedEx Priority Overnight, FedEx Standard Overnight and Extra Hours: Dec. 23
- FedEx Express Same-Day Delivery: Dec. 24
Amazon
Amazon doesn’t have an official holiday shipping calendar, but you can see shipping estimates on individual items either on their product pages or once you’ve added them your cart. Depending on the product and where it’s located, you may be able to get one-day, two-day or even same-day delivery to make sure your gifts arrive in time for Christmas.
Prime members often get these options for free, but non-Prime members can usually pay a fee for fast delivery. But remember, shipping delays are common during high-volume times like the holidays, so it’s best not to cut it too close.
When is the last day to mail Christmas packages?
Dec. 24 is the last day to mail Christmas packages if you use FedEx Express Same-Day Delivery or Amazon’s Same-Day Delivery, which in 2025 is available in more than 9,000 cities and towns across the country.
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