ILLINOIS/WISCONSIN — With the holidays in full swing, the Postal Service is delivering more cards, letters, and packages every day. This means our customers will start to see postal employees delivering packages earlier in the morning, later in the evening, and on Sundays.
“The Postal Service is well prepared to meet our customers’ needs during the holiday season,” says Lakeland District Manager Debbie Woodrum. “We ask customers that are expecting a package to please turn on their porch light so our letter carriers can deliver safely.”
With an increase in early and online shopping for gifts, there is no longer a “busiest day” for holiday shipping. Instead, the Postal Service predicts the week of Dec. 18 - 24 to be the busiest mailing, shipping, and delivery week. During this week, nearly 3 billion pieces of First Class Mail, including greeting cards, will be processed and delivered. The Postal Service is projecting about 15 billion pieces of mail, including more than 850 million packages, will be delivered between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.
Using correct addressing, packaging gifts well and mailing by recommended deadline dates can help ensure holiday wishes are received by loved-ones by Dec. 25. Visit the Postal Service Holiday Newsroom at usps.com/holidaynewsto get the full list of deadlines, pricing and shipping tips.
Mail-by Dates (Domestic Services)
- Dec. 14 - USPS Retail Ground
- Dec. 16 - First Class Packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
- Dec. 19 - First Class Mail (including greeting cards)
- Dec. 20 - Priority Mail
- Dec. 22 - Priority Mail Express
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.
More USPS holiday news, including shipping deadlines and Santa mail, can be found at usps.com/holidaynews.
For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf. Follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/usps), Instagram (instagram.com/uspostalservice), Pinterest (pinterest.com/uspsstamps), LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/usps), subscribe to our channel on YouTube (youtube.com/usps), like us on Facebook (facebook.com/usps) and view our Postal Posts blog (uspsblog.com).
For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.
