Christmas is approaching, and apart from thinking about the pounds we’re going to gain from feasts and family gatherings, we’re starting to feel a little more anxious about gifts. Nowadays, we don’t go to physical stores to fight with another woman over the last Cabbage Patch doll, but we stay at home wringing our hands and wondering if our packages will arrive on time.
The fact is that we often sin by putting things off until the last minute because we can’t decide on gifts. However, shipping times have to be realistic. Santa Claus can work his magic and deliver packages around the world in a single night… But we are mere mortals who need to plan further in advance. If you’re in charge of buying gifts for your family this year, here’s a guide to make sure they arrive on time.
Shipping billions of parcels for Christmas
Planning is not optional, but a logistical necessity if you want gifts under the tree this year. The volume of parcels is monumental; carriers prepare each year to handle more than 2.3 billion shipments between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.
The period between Black Friday and December 25 is peak season for freight transport, so many companies set a deadline.
Forewarned is forearmed, and if your package wasn’t delivered, it’s probably because it was purchased after the suggested deadline. If you want to ensure that all the packages you need are delivered before December 25, here are some of the dates you need to mark on your calendar. Each courier company has set its own deadline, as they do not have flying reindeer, but simply delivery drivers in vans and trucks.
Shipping deadlines by different carriers
USPS
- USPS Ground Advantage: December 17;
- First-Class Mail: December 17;
- Priority Mail: December 18;
- Priority Mail Express: December 20.
UPS (United Parcel Service): Express Services
UPS offers several options for more urgent shipments:
- UPS 3-Day Select: December 19;
- UPS 2nd-Day Air: December 22;
- UPS Next-Day Air: December 23.
FedEx (Federal Express): Multiple Options
FedEx offers the widest range of services, from the slowest to the fastest:
- FedEx Ground Economy: December 15;
- FedEx Ground: The deadline varies, but is generally considered to be between December 17 and 23, depending on the distance;
- FedEx Express Saver: December 20;
- FedEx 2-Day: December 22; and
- FedEx Same Day: December 24.
Sales deadlines
A common mistake is to confuse the carrier’s deadline with the deadline of the store where we make our purchase. The retailer’s cut-off date is even earlier than the carrier’s. This makes sense: store employees need time to process the order, locate the item, package it, and generate the shipping label. It can’t just spontaneously appear on the delivery truck; it takes time.
That’s why most stores also have a deadline, which we need to take into account even more than the carriers’ deadlines:
- Amazon (Prime members): Members with one-day shipping can order until December 22. Non-members for standard shipping must order by December 16.
- Walmart (Members+): Walmart+ members can order until December 21. Non-members have a deadline of December 17.
- Target: Two-day shipping has a recommended deadline of December 21.
- Other Stores: Specialty or personalized items from stores such as Best Buy (December 17), Macy’s (December 19), and Lowe’s (December 16) should be ordered as far in advance as possible.
Some tips from a serious shopaholic
As someone who has been in charge of gifts for the whole family for years, here’s a planning strategy to ensure maximum success: don’t wait. Send all packages before this Friday if you choose standard or ground service.
This will give you a week’s safety margin to compensate for bad weather or congestion at the courier sorting center. Apart from that, double-check your address—don’t blindly trust the Autocomplete option. A typo in your Street name or apartment number can make the package go MIA for a few days… or forever.