Guide · Practical
Last Day to Mail Christmas Cards in 2026
The U.S. Postal Service has published its recommended holiday send-by dates for 2026. For Christmas cards mailed with ordinary stamps inside the lower 48 states, the date to remember is Thursday, December 17: that is the USPS recommendation for First-Class Mail to arrive before December 25. Cards to military addresses and to other countries need to go out a week or more earlier. All the dates are below, copied from USPS.
USPS holiday mailing deadlines for 2026
USPS calls these “recommended send-by dates for expected delivery before December 25.” Christmas 2026 falls on a Friday.
Within the contiguous U.S. (lower 48 states)
| Mail service | Send by |
|---|---|
| USPS Ground Advantage® | Thursday, Dec. 17 |
| First-Class Mail® | Thursday, Dec. 17 |
| Priority Mail® | Friday, Dec. 18 |
| Priority Mail Express® | Saturday, Dec. 19 |
A stamped card in a regular envelope travels as First-Class Mail, so Thursday, December 17 is your date.
Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories
| Mail service | Send by |
|---|---|
| First-Class Mail® | Thursday, Dec. 17 |
| Priority Mail® | Friday, Dec. 18 |
| Priority Mail Express® | Saturday, Dec. 19 |
| USPS Ground Advantage® | No single date: USPS gives a service expectation of 10 days or more between the lower 48 and these locations |
Military mail (APO/FPO/DPO)
| Addressed to ZIP codes | Ground Advantage® | First-Class Mail® | Priority Mail® | Priority Mail Express Military® |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 090–092 | Wednesday, Nov. 4 | Wednesday, Dec. 9 | Wednesday, Dec. 9 | Wednesday, Dec. 16 |
| 093 | Wednesday, Nov. 4 | Wednesday, Dec. 9 | Wednesday, Dec. 9 | Not available |
| 094–099 | Wednesday, Nov. 4 | Wednesday, Dec. 9 | Wednesday, Dec. 9 | Wednesday, Dec. 16 |
| 340 | Wednesday, Nov. 4 | Wednesday, Dec. 9 | Wednesday, Dec. 9 | Wednesday, Dec. 16 |
| 962–966 | Wednesday, Nov. 4 | Wednesday, Dec. 9 | Wednesday, Dec. 9 | Wednesday, Dec. 16 |
Priority Mail Express Military is offered only at selected military and diplomatic Post Offices, so ask at yours first.
International mail
USPS gives the same dates for every region it lists: Africa, Asia/Pacific Rim, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Mexico and the Middle East.
| Mail service | Send by |
|---|---|
| First-Class Package International Service® | Wednesday, Dec. 9 |
| Priority Mail International® | Wednesday, Dec. 9 |
| Priority Mail Express International® | Wednesday, Dec. 16 |
Note that the international table is for packages. USPS does not give a separate line for First-Class Mail International, the service a stamped card to Ireland, the UK or anywhere else abroad uses. Without an official date for cards, mail them as early as you can, and ask at your Post Office about current delivery times to the country you are writing to.
Sources: USPS, “2026 Holiday Shipping Deadlines” and the USPS press release “Postal Service Recommends 2026 Holiday Mailing and Shipping Dates” (September 22, 2026), both read on October 28, 2026. USPS adds that “actual delivery date may vary and is based on origin, destination, Post Office™ acceptance time, and other conditions.” It also points out that Hanukkah (December 4 to 12) comes early this year, so cards for Hanukkah need to go out sooner.
Tips for getting cards there on time
- Check the last pickup time. A card dropped in a blue collection box after the day’s last pickup leaves with the next one. Pickup times are posted on the box.
- Watch for odd shapes. Square envelopes, very stiff cards and cards with a bow or button inside can’t go through the sorting machines, and USPS charges an extra amount for them. A rectangular card that bends a little needs just one stamp (up to 1 ounce).
- Use Forever stamps. A Forever stamp always covers a one-ounce First-Class letter, whatever the price is on the day you mail it, so you can buy them well before December. For cards abroad, a Global Forever stamp covers a one-ounce letter to any country.
- Write a return address. If a card can’t be delivered, it can come back to you instead of going missing.
- Mail the far-away cards first. Write the international and military cards in November, then the cards for the next town over.
If you are writing to people across the Atlantic, Royal Mail’s dates for Christmas post in the UK and An Post’s deadlines for Ireland tell you how late your family there can post back to you.
Missed the mail?
If December 17 has come and gone and someone is still missing from your list, an animated card sent by email, or shared as a link by text or WhatsApp, doesn’t depend on mail trucks or pickup times. You can send it straight away, or write it today and pick the day it should arrive. Our guide to sending a card online walks you through it, and the Christmas cards are painted winter scenes that come alive when they’re opened.
It isn’t a card for the mantel, and it doesn’t pretend to be. It’s a warm way to make sure no one is left out.
Questions
What is the last day to mail Christmas cards in 2026?
For First-Class Mail within the lower 48 states, and to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories, USPS recommends Thursday, December 17. For military addresses, First-Class Mail should go by Wednesday, December 9.
Is a send-by date a guarantee?
No. USPS describes these as recommended dates for expected delivery. The earlier you mail, the more room you leave for weather, holiday volumes and the rest.
When will this page be updated?
We read the USPS dates on October 28, 2026, and will check them again through November and December; if USPS changes a date, this page will change too. Dates for the 2027 holidays will be added in the fall, once USPS publishes them.