Your Amazing 2017 Christmas Shipping Guide
Christmas falls on a Monday this year, making last minute Christmas shipping gifts and surprises a bit tricky. In the United States, we have three main companies to use to ship items: USPS, UPS, and FedEx. These three organizations have several different shipping speed options for you to utilize. As you continue with your holiday plans, is important to know what the shipping deadlines are for each of these services, so you can ship Christmas to your loved ones in time. Each of these services offers their own boxes, but you may find the sizes limited.
Your 2017 Calendar for Shipping Deadlines:
We’ve prepared a PDF of this Christmas Shipping calendar for you to print out and keep handy throughout this holiday season. Please note that these deadlines are for shipping within the United States only.
Additional Christmas Shipping Information
A few of the methods outlined above have a couple of important notes. Some shipping methods are only available in certain cities, others carry a fee with them. Make sure to review these notes on your selected shipping method.
| Service | Deadline | Notes |
| FedEx Ground | 15-Dec | Will NOT delivery on Saturday 12/23. Use this shipping planning map to identify the day shipments will arrive: |
| UPS 3 Day Select | 18-Dec | Delivery on Friday, Dec. 22 |
| FedEx Home Delivery | 18-Dec | Will deliver on Saturday 12/23 at no additional charge |
| FedEx 2Day | 20-Dec | $16 Saturday delivery fee will apply per package if Saturday delivery is selected on 12/23 |
| UPS 2nd Day Air | 20-Dec | Delivery on Friday, Dec. 22 |
| FedEx Priority Overnight | 21-Dec | $16 Saturday delivery fee will apply per package if Saturday delivery is selected on 12/23 |
| FedEx First Overnight | 21-Dec | $16 Saturday delivery fee will apply per package if Saturday delivery is selected on 12/23 |
| UPS Next Day Air | 21-Dec | Delivery on Friday, Dec. 22 |
| UPS 2nd Day Air – Saturday Delivery | 21-Dec | Must specifically be marked for Saturday delivery and can only be used in an area with Saturday delivery |
| UPS Next Day Air – Saturday Delivery | 22-Dec | Must specifically be marked for Saturday delivery and can only be used in an area with Saturday delivery |
| FedEx SameDay | 25-Dec | Can ship on Christmas Day |
Additional Suggestions to Make Christmas Shipping Easier
The last place most of us want to be is at the Post Office or one of these shipping facilities. The stores are crazy busy from open to close. Do yourself and others a favor by preparing your boxes before you go in to mail them off. Preparing ahead of time has two advantages. First, you will avoid any stress of worrying whether your items will fit into the boxes. Second, you can take advantage of shorter lines and use one of the shipping machines at the store. Most of the shipping services have standard box sizes available for you to use at a flat-rate shipping cost. Depending on what you’re shipping and how heavy it is, these may be the way to go. However, we’ve found these boxes often do not meet the size criteria needed for shipping gifts. If this happens to you, try one of our Amazing shipping boxes. We have three sizes: small, medium, large and all of them are on sale throughout the month of December. We also have sturdy packing materials to ensure your items make them to their destination safely.
