Community Corner

Don't Wait Too Long to Mail Those Holiday Packages and Cards

Helpful U.S. Post Office deadlines to keep in mind to make sure everything arrives on time this season.

The holiday season is the busiest time of year for the U.S. Post Office.

If you have some packages or cards that need to go in the mail this year, here are some helpful deadlines to keep in mind to make sure they arrive on time for the holidays.

Find out what's happening in McLeanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Dec. 2 — Priority Mail International
  • Dec. 10 APO/FPO Military Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
  • Dec. 10 — Priority Mail Express International
  • Dec. 14 Standard Post
  • Dec. 16 — Global Express Guaranteed
  • Dec. 17 — Priority Mail Express Military Service
  • Dec. 20 — First-Class Mail
  • Dec. 21 — Priority Mail
  • Dec. 23 — Priority Mail Express

Note: The deadline for sending something via regular post to an APO/FPO military address has already passed — so you'll want to send your package or letter via priority or first-class mail before Dec. 10 to ensure it gets there in time for Christmas.

How busy will the post office be this year? The U.S. Post Office expects to process 545 million pieces of mail every day throughout this holiday season. That's a whopping 15 billion pieces of mail expected to be delivered between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.

Find out what's happening in McLeanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The busiest mailing day this season is projected to be Monday, Dec. 16, when more than 600 million pieces of mail are expected to be processed. The same day, 6 million customers are expected to visit the roughly 31,000 post offices nationwide.  

The McLean Post Office is at 6841 Elm St. For other locations, visit the locator page on the U.S. Postal Service website.


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