Overview
- USPS recommends sending Ground Advantage and First-Class items by Dec. 17, with Priority Mail by Dec. 18 and Priority Mail Express by Dec. 20 for delivery by Christmas within the contiguous U.S.
- FedEx and UPS keep later options available, including two-day services through Dec. 22 and overnight through Dec. 23, with select FedEx SameDay on Dec. 24 where offered.
- Post offices will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, though self-service kiosks and smart lockers remain accessible.
- USPS cites major capacity upgrades, including more than 600 high-speed package sorters that lift daily throughput to about 88 million, 14,000 seasonal hires, and tens of thousands of new delivery vehicles.
- Some localized slowdowns, including renewed backlogs in Louisville drawing congressional scrutiny, underscore advice to ship early and use tracking; earlier cutoffs apply for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories.