This year, the Postal Service™ is reminding employees and customers that the holidays are our time to deliver. We have prepared all year for this season, and are ready to deliver across the country. Before Thanksgiving, we will send a holiday mailing to 105.2 million households that contains everything customers need to know for the holidays.
Holiday Stamps
The Postal Service offers a wide variety of contemporary and religious stamps for the holidays (see Stamps Poster). Customers may purchase these stamps at Post Offices™ or online at usps.com/shop. Get the stamps while they last, including:
n The Snowy Day.*
n Christmas Carols.*
n Kwanzaa.
n Diwali.
n Holiday.
n Florentine Madonna and Child.
n Hanukkah.
n Nativity.
n Eid Greetings.
n Lunar New Year: Year of the Rooster.
* Stamps issued in 2017.
2017 Holiday Mail-By Dates
Domestic Services
The Postal Service recommends customers in the U.S. observe the following mailing and shipping deadlines to ensure that deliveries are made in time for Christmas. For the complete list of mailing and shipping deadlines, go to usps.com/holidaynews:
November 6 — Air/Army Post Office, Fleet Post Office, and Diplomatic Post Office (APO/FPO/DPO) USPS Retail Ground™
December 11 (military) — APO/FPO/DPO Priority Mail® and APO/FPO/DPO First-Class Mail®
December 14 (domestic) — USPS Retail Ground
December 16 (military) — APO/FPO/DPO Priority Mail Express®
December 16 — First-Class Packages®
(up to 15.99 ounces)
December 19 — First-Class Mail
December 20 — Priority Mail
December 22 — Priority Mail Express
Alaska to Mainland
December 20 — First-Class Mail and Priority Mail
December 21 — Priority Mail Express
Hawaii to Mainland
December 15 — First-Class Mail and Priority Mail
December 20 — Priority Mail Express
International Services
We advise customers mailing internationally during the holidays to review the chart below for specific deadlines based on the locations they are mailing to and the service they are using. When mailing and shipping internationally, customers must also follow necessary customs guidelines. For more information, visit the International Shipping page at wwwu.sps.com/international/preparing-international-shipments.htm.
Military Mail
To send packages to loved ones serving in the military abroad, the Postal Service offers a discounted price of $17.35 on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate® box. The price includes a $1.50 per box discount for mail sent to APO/FPO/DPO destinations worldwide.
Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes are available at no cost at local Post Offices or customers can order them online at usps.com/freeboxes. Customers may print postage, labels, and customs forms online anytime using Click-N-Ship® at usps.com/ship.
To ensure timely delivery of holiday wishes by December 25, 2017, the Postal Service recommends that you send cards and packages to military APO/FPO/DPO addresses overseas no later than the mailing dates listed in the following table:
Military Care Kit
The Postal Service has created a free Military Care Kit based on the items most frequently requested by military families. The kit contains:
1. Two Priority Mail APO/FPO/DPO Flat Rate boxes,
2. Two Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate boxes,
3. Priority Mail tape,
4. Priority Mail address labels, and
5. Appropriate customs forms.
To order the kit, call 800-610-8734. You can find guidelines for packing, addressing, and shipping items to U.S. troops at usps.com/ship/apo-fpo-dpo.htm. To order flat rate boxes featuring the “America Supports You” logo, go to usps.com/freeboxes.
Addressing the Package
Use the following directions to properly address your military mail package:
n Write out the service member’s full name.
n Include the unit and APO/FPO/DPO address with the 9-digit ZIP Code™ (if one is assigned).
For example:
Army/Air Post Office (APO)
PFC JOHN DOE
PSC 3 BOX 4120
APO AE 09021
Fleet Post Office (FPO)
SEAMAN JOSEPH SMITH
UNIT 100100 BOX 4120
FPO AP 96691
Diplomatic Post Office (DPO)
JOHN ADAMS
UNIT 8400 BOX 0000
DPO AE 09498-0048
n Do not write the country name where the service member is stationed in the address.
n Include a return address.
n Inside the box, include the service member’s name and address as well as the sender’s name and address on an index card in case the shipping label gets damaged in transit.
Custom Solutions for Sending Holiday Packages
The Postal Service is uniquely qualified to deliver the holidays by offering a variety of custom solutions designed to make sending holiday packages easy:
n Get free Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express boxes and envelopes in Post Offices or online at usps.com/freeboxes.
n Skip the line and use self-service kiosks located in larger Post Offices to weigh, pay postage, and deposit your packages.
n Use Click-N-Ship online at usps.com/ship to create shipping labels with USPS Tracking®, pay postage, or use flat rate shipping products to avoid weighing packages.
n Schedule a free Package Pickup at usps.com/pickup or hand your package to your mail carrier on his or her regular delivery route.
n Take your packages to the retail counter at any Post Office.
Custom Solutions to Help With Receiving Holiday Packages
The Postal Service also offers a variety of custom solutions designed to make receiving holiday packages more convenient:
n Use USPS Informed Delivery® to sign up for free services to customize package delivery. You can receive text messages or email alerts to let you know that your package is on its way and when the carrier has delivered it. You can also provide delivery instructions online and authorize the carrier to leave the package in a specific location. For more information, visit informeddelivery.usps.com.
n Choose the Hold for Pickup option to request that your package is held at the Post Office.
n Choose USPS Package Intercept® if you won’t be at home when the carrier will deliver your package. Before delivery, you can redirect most domestic package shipments to the sender, to a new address (like a neighbor), or to the Post Office to be held for pickup.
Help Customers Avoid a Shipping Glitch
There are a number of things that customers can do to ensure their holiday mail gets delivered safely and correctly:
n Print addresses clearly and include all address elements, such as apartment numbers and directional information (ex., 123 S. Main St., Apt. 2B).
n Remove batteries from toys. Wrap and place them next to the toys in the mailing box. If you pack new batteries with the toys, leave them in their original packaging.
n Place a card inside the package that contains the delivery and return address. This ensures the package can be delivered or returned if the mailing label gets damaged or falls off.
n Never guess a ZIP Code. NO ZIP is better than a WRONG ZIP. Look up a ZIP Code at usps.com under Quick Tools.
n Include both “to” and “from” information on packages and only on one side.
n Do NOT reuse mailing boxes — they weaken in the shipping process.
n Select a box that is strong enough to protect the contents. Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express boxes are free at the local Post Office.
n Leave space for extra cushioning inside. Stuff glass and fragile, hollow items, like vases, with newspaper or packing material, to avoid damage. When mailing framed photographs, take the glass out of the frame and wrap it separately.
What’s Different This Year
The Postal Service is looking at another record-breaking holiday season:
n We will offer an expanded delivery window — delivery in the morning and early afternoon on Sundays.
n We rented nearly 1,600 vehicles to supplement our existing fleet of 228,000 vehicles.
n We expanded our capacity by adding new equipment:
n 7 small package sorter systems (SPSS);
n 2 parcel sorters;
n 28 automated package bundle sorters (APBS) with 1,344 additional separations;
n 3 APBS induction systems;
n 2 automated package processing systems (APPS) with 144 additional separations;
n 3 universal sorters (USS), 3 induction upgrades, and 3 bin upgrades;
n In Queens, NY: a high throughput parcel sorter (HTPS) with 400+ separations; and
n 2 flats culling systems.
