Sending Christmas gifts by mail? Here are the deadlines you need to know

PHOENIX — Planning to send Christmas cards or gifts this year, but haven’t made it to the post office yet?

Here are the United States Postal Service deadlines recommended for delivery by Christmas:

• • Dec. 14, using USPS retail ground service
• • Dec. 16, to send military mail overseas
• • Dec. 20, using first class and priority mail, which includes greeting cards
• • Dec. 22, using priority mail express

The postal service said on its website that these dates are guidelines and do not guarantee delivery by Christmas.

“If you want to send that last-minute greeting card, then Dec. 20 is your deadline, but I wouldn’t wait until the last minute to send anything … I’d recommend sending it as soon as possible, this week if you can,” Rod Spurgeon, communications specialist for United States Postal Service, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday.

The postal service expects to process and deliver about 3 billion pieces of first-class mail the week before Christmas.

“We do notice about Dec. 17 through 23 is going to be our busiest time this year, and that’s the time we expect about 200 million packages to be processed and delivered,” Spurgeon said.

Some post offices in the Phoenix area are open for extra hours throughout the month to give people more time to bring in their mail.

For those who can’t make it to an office, Spurgeon said the Click-N-Ship feature allows people to mail packages from home.

First, you request a free box online that’s shipped to your home. Then you pay for and print postage online, and the package is picked up the next day.

To get your packages delivered without a hitch, check out these Postal Posts® blog tips to avoid a shipping glitch! #DeliveringTheHolidays #ItsWhatWeDo https://t.co/nlkpcKBVdQ

— U.S. Postal Service (@USPS) December 3, 2018

Spurgeon said other tips for ensuring timely delivery include confirming the accuracy of addresses and writing them in “clear, bold letters” on labels.

If you are unsure of a zip code, he said, either look it up and add it or don’t include it at all — an incorrect zip code is more likely to lead to delays.

Spurgeon also recommended using durable boxes, like the ones offered for free at post offices, as ones that have been reused often weaken during shipping.

And if you need to mail something after Christmas?

Post offices nationwide will be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Nailea Leon contributed to this report. 

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