How to Send Christmas Cards On Time in the United States

Plan ahead., Make sure you are able to purchase stamps., Plan for delays, if the post office is a tiny hamlet post office., Plan for delays, if the post office is one of many post offices in big metropolitan cities containing many ZIP codes., Know...

9 Steps 2 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Plan ahead.

    Write and assemble your Christmas cards within the week following Thanksgiving.
  2. Step 2: Make sure you are able to purchase stamps.

    Have the envelope containing the card reach its destination in time.

    Either use the website version of the shipping company try to determine an approximate delivery date and time, or take it to the shipping center or USPS to see what their best route is to bring it to where it needs to go.

    While most places from one coast can reach the other coast in about a week during the normal rest of the year, during Christmas, things get interesting, and for a card to travel from coast to coast could then take a week and a half. , The smaller the town's post office, the harder the office makes it to reach the person in time.

    With a bunch of different Christmas cards arriving at the same time, the organizational task of keeping things ready to "head out the door successfully" is a challenge., When Christmas cards come in to big metropolitan cities, they come in to one post office and are dispersed to their component zip code post office for delivery to the recipient.

    That change-over could cause problems., Each post office has a certain period of time that they will allow for, before the post office says "the card won't reach its intended destination for Christmas".

    Know these dates.

    Select a quicker route if you've missed that style's deadline.

    Between priority mail (a turnaround of 2-3 days) and express mail (for those looking for a next day turnaround (even on Sundays), the USPS has some type of system to mail your cards and get them there on time. , While other delivery companies may not like to send things which aren't in their form of packaging, try other companies.

    Use either UPS or FedEx.

    Sometimes, these companies can get it there before Christmas (or on Christmas (Eve)), but you'll have to make sure you follow the policies of the other companies as well., Do this if you suspect it could cut it close to the deadline day.
  3. Step 3: Plan for delays

  4. Step 4: if the post office is a tiny hamlet post office.

  5. Step 5: Plan for delays

  6. Step 6: if the post office is one of many post offices in big metropolitan cities containing many ZIP codes.

  7. Step 7: Know if and when each class of mail is able to be sent to be successfully delivered at the destination.

  8. Step 8: Recognize alternate forms of sending the card.

  9. Step 9: Give the intended recipient a "heads up" (email or phone call) to ensure that the recipient knows that there is a card on its way.

Detailed Guide

Write and assemble your Christmas cards within the week following Thanksgiving.

Have the envelope containing the card reach its destination in time.

Either use the website version of the shipping company try to determine an approximate delivery date and time, or take it to the shipping center or USPS to see what their best route is to bring it to where it needs to go.

While most places from one coast can reach the other coast in about a week during the normal rest of the year, during Christmas, things get interesting, and for a card to travel from coast to coast could then take a week and a half. , The smaller the town's post office, the harder the office makes it to reach the person in time.

With a bunch of different Christmas cards arriving at the same time, the organizational task of keeping things ready to "head out the door successfully" is a challenge., When Christmas cards come in to big metropolitan cities, they come in to one post office and are dispersed to their component zip code post office for delivery to the recipient.

That change-over could cause problems., Each post office has a certain period of time that they will allow for, before the post office says "the card won't reach its intended destination for Christmas".

Know these dates.

Select a quicker route if you've missed that style's deadline.

Between priority mail (a turnaround of 2-3 days) and express mail (for those looking for a next day turnaround (even on Sundays), the USPS has some type of system to mail your cards and get them there on time. , While other delivery companies may not like to send things which aren't in their form of packaging, try other companies.

Use either UPS or FedEx.

Sometimes, these companies can get it there before Christmas (or on Christmas (Eve)), but you'll have to make sure you follow the policies of the other companies as well., Do this if you suspect it could cut it close to the deadline day.

About the Author

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Anthony Shaw

Enthusiastic about teaching hobbies techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.

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