You’ve made your list and have probably checked it twice, but we are getting down to the wire. If you have Christmas cards or presents to ship in the mail, you are quickly running out of time.

It is estimated that the United States Postal Service hired 40,000 additional holiday employees across the country, but they want to warn you, that doesn’t mean you should procrastinate in getting your presents shipped out. USPS is estimating they will deliver 750,000 packages per day leading up to Christmas. With that heavy load, the entire process is slowed down and if you wait, chances of your special gift arriving on time decreases.

If you want your gifts to arrive by Christmas, the deadline for ground shipping is December 15. If you need to get out your annual holiday cards or letters, the recommended deadline is December 17. If you get down to crunch time and are content with spending extra, shipping by priority mail deadline is December 18 and express shipping by December 23.

Some shipping tips:
-Do not gift wrap the outside of the shipping box.
-Don’t wrap the shipping box with string or ribbon. The string can get stuck in their automated equipment and cause issues and damage.
-Do use packing tape, not scotch tape when securing the box and labels
-Do put a second label inside the box so the box is damaged on the outside or the label is destroyed or comes off, USPS employees can open it up and know where to send it.