VFW AL Post 4572 - Wetumpka

USPS Issues Holiday Mailing Deadlines

Posted at 10:34 PM on Oct. 15, 2007 by Blogmaster

(via AirForceTimes.com)

If you want to get holiday gifts to a service member deployed overseas by Dec. 25, it’s time to start thinking about mail deadlines.

The first suggested deadline of Nov. 13 is for packages going by parcel post to deployed troops and those living on overseas installations, according to the U.S. Postal Service. Parcel post may be the slowest option, but it’s the cheapest, too. For packages to arrive by the start of Hanukkah, at sundown Dec. 4, they should be mailed by Oct. 23.

You can check the cost of mailing your package through different avenues on the Postal Service’s Web site.

If you miss the parcel post deadline, here are your options for getting mail to an APO/FPO address by Dec. 25 (subtract 21 days from these deadlines to ensure delivery in time for Hanukkah):

* Space Available Mail (SAM): Nov. 27.

* Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL): Dec. 4, except for ZIP codes starting with 093, which are all areas of contingency operations. The suggested deadline for those locations is Dec. 1.

* Priority Mail: Dec. 11 (093 ZIP codes, Dec. 4).

* First-class letters and cards: Dec. 11. (093 ZIP codes, Dec. 4).

* Express Mail Military Services: Dec. 18 (not available to 093 ZIP codes).

Read more and get additional mailing tips here