Christmas Shipping Deadlines 2026

Carrier Deadlines

Strategic Tips

• 💡 Ship a few days before the date, not on it. USPS says the real delivery day depends on where it starts, where it goes and when you drop it off
• 💡 Ground Advantage to Alaska, Hawaii and the territories can take 10 days or more. Use Priority Mail there, or ship in early December
• 💡 For international gifts, December 9 is the USPS date for every region, from Canada and Mexico to Asia and Africa
• 💡 Military care packages by Ground Advantage need to leave by November 4 — five weeks before the Priority Mail date
• 💡 UPS: no Ground pickups on December 24 or December 31, and Air pickups on December 24 only if arranged by December 18
• 💡 FedEx: modified service on December 24 and December 31, closed on December 25 and January 1
• 💡 Missed a date? Move up a service level, such as Priority Mail Express instead of Priority Mail

Common Product Categories

UPS holiday schedule 2026

UPS is closed for pickup and delivery on Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26), Christmas Day (Friday, December 25) and New Year's Day (Friday, January 1, 2027). UPS Express Critical still runs 24/7.

• November 27 (Black Friday): normal pickup and delivery.
• December 24: delivery for all services; no UPS Ground pickup; Air and international Air pickups only if prearranged by December 18.
• December 31: no Ground pickup or delivery; Air pickups only if prearranged by December 28.
• November 11 (Veterans Day): UPS runs, but UPS Ground Saver and Mail Innovations take one extra business day because USPS is closed.

FedEx holiday schedule 2026

FedEx publishes its 2026 last-day-to-ship dates on its holiday page. FedEx says the schedule can change, so check it again as the date gets close.

• Thanksgiving, November 26: FedEx closed; FedEx Office closed. Modified service on November 25 and 27.
• Christmas Eve, December 24: modified service, with early on-call and drop box pickups and modified Ground pickups. FedEx Office has modified hours.
• Christmas Day, December 25: FedEx closed; FedEx Office closed. Open again December 26.
• New Year's Eve, December 31: modified service, modified Ground pickups. New Year's Day, January 1: closed.

Alaska, Hawaii and US territories

USPS gives the same dates for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the US territories: December 17 for First-Class Mail, December 18 for Priority Mail and December 19 for Priority Mail Express. Ground Advantage is the exception. USPS says those routes can take 10 days or more. Check the delivery estimate for your ZIP codes and ship well before December 17.

Packages from American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the US Virgin Islands into the US also need prepaid customs duties for items valued up to $2,500, USPS notes.

Package early, ship early

Carriers are busiest in the last week before Christmas. Ship a few days before the date for your service. Then a late scan or bad weather won't push a gift past December 25. If the item can't be replaced, ship even earlier.

Order free Priority Mail boxes from USPS early. USPS ships supply orders within one business day, and they arrive in 2 to 5 business days at no cost.

Packaging tips for holiday shipments

Holiday parcels pass through more hands and machines than usual. Double-box fragile gifts. Put a snug inner box with padding inside an outer box with cushioning on every side. Seal every seam. Remove old labels from reused boxes, so the wrong barcode isn't scanned.

International holiday shipping

USPS asks for international gifts by December 9, 2026 for First-Class Package International and Priority Mail International, and December 16 for Priority Mail Express International. That date is the same for every region.

Fill in the customs form completely, with a clear description and an honest value for each item. A vague or under-declared form is the most common reason gifts sit in customs past the holiday.

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