Attention, Procrastinators: Here Are the 2025 Holiday Shipping Deadlines You Need to Know

If you’ve spent all year promising yourself you won't wait until the last minute to ship holiday gifts, and now you’re reading this mid-December… welcome! You’re among friends. The good news is that you still have time. The bad news is that it’s not much!

Here’s your no-panic guide to the 2025 holiday shipping deadlines across USPS and FedEx, plus a few foolproof last-minute gift ideas for when the clock runs out entirely.

USPS: The Big Ones to Remember

For USPS shipping to the contiguous U.S. (a.k.a. everyone not living in Hawaii, Alaska, or on a tropical island you should’ve invited me to):

• Ground Advantage: December 17
• First-Class Mail: December 17
• Priority Mail: December 18
• Priority Mail Express: December 20

Yes, Express still gives you a couple more days, but please don’t turn this into a habit (for your own sanity).

If you’re mailing from or to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or U.S. Territories, most dates shift up slightly:

• Ground Advantage: December 16
• First-Class: December 17
• Priority Mail: December 18
• Express: December 20

And if you’re sending something to an international address? Most destinations (Europe, Asia, Canada, Australia, the Caribbean, etc.) have these deadlines:

• First-Class Package International: December 9
• Priority Mail International: December 9
• Priority Mail Express International: December 16

Central and South America get even earlier cutoffs (December 2), so if you missed that… maybe start writing an apology card.

Military mail has its own set of timelines, and the earliest cutoffs were way back in early November. If you haven’t shipped those yet, double-check your local PO for Priority Mail Express Military options.

FedEx: For the “I Swear I’ll Overnight it” Crowd

FedEx deadlines vary more by location, but here are the key national dates:

• FedEx Ground / Home Delivery: Transit times depend on distance, but most shipping routes fall between 7 days out (ship by Dec 15) and 1 day out (ship by Dec 22)
• FedEx Express Saver: (3-day): Ship by December 20
• FedEx 2Day®: Ship by December 21
• FedEx Standard Overnight®: Ship by December 22
• FedEx Priority Overnight®: Ship by December 22
• FedEx First Overnight®: Ship by December 22

International (U.S. to Canada):

• Next Flight: December 23
• International First: December 23
• International Priority: December 22
• International Economy: December 19
• International Connect Plus: December 18

U.S. to Mexico: Same general rules. Last flights and First services hit December 23 and December 22, with Economy clocking out on December 19.

Domestic Ground depends on your ZIP code (because of course it does), but as a rule of thumb: if you’re shipping by December 15–18, you’re still within the safe zone for most routes. After that, you might as well ask Santa to pick it up himself.

Okay, But What if You Miss All the Deadlines?

Fear not! Below are some gifts that don’t need shipping at all. Here are A+ last-minute options guaranteed to feel like you thought of them ahead of time:

• Digital gift cards (coffee, books, gaming, travel; pick their personality).
• Subscription boxes (skincare, snacks, tea, books, pet treats).
• Experiences (cooking classes, pottery workshops, museum memberships).
• Customized video messages from creators or celebrities.Donation in their name to a cause that actually means something to them.

Holiday shipping doesn’t have to be a stress marathon! Mail early if you can… but keep a few digital gifts in your pocket for when things inevitably go off the rails.

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