Christmas is less than a month away, and packages will need to be on their way soon to arrive before the holiday.

 

Residents sending gifts via the United States Postal Service will need to have their packages sent by Dec. 18 for USPS Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail services, Dec. 19 for Priority Mail and Dec. 21 for Priority Mail Express for all deliveries to the lower 48 U.S. states.

 

Packages going to Alaska and Hawaii will need to be sent by Dec. 16 for Ground Advantage, Dec. 18 for First-Class, Dec. 19 for Priority and Dec. 20 for Priority Mail Express.

 

Military mail needs to be on the way by Dec. 9 for First-Class and Priority Mail and Dec. 16 for Priority Mail Express Military Service.

 

UPS recommends customers ship packages by Dec. 19 for Three Day Select, Dec. 20 for Second Day Air and Dec. 23 for Next Day Air services. Residents planning to use UPS Ground shipping can check how long it will take their package to arrive online at ups.com.

 

UPS will deliver as normal on Christmas Eve but will be closed for Christmas Day.

 

The last day to mail a package via FedEx Ground is Dec. 13. FedEx Express Saver and 3Day Freight packages must go by Dec. 19, and FedEx 2Day and 2Day Freight must go by Dec. 20.

 

Customers needing a bit more time can opt for FedEx 1day Freight, Standard Overnight and Priority Overnight, which can be mailed as late as Dec. 22 and still be expected to arrive by Christmas.