Sending Christmas Gifts? Here Are Your Last Minute Deadlines.

Christmas is eight days away at this point. Honestly, I have barely lifted a finger as far as shopping goes. Although the only person left on my list is my wife, and I can get all her stuff locally. And luckily for me, she never reads my articles, so she'll have no idea how unprepared I am. I could say her gifts right here, and she'd never know. Haha.

What about you? Have you gotten all your shopping done yet? Did you do most of it locally wherever you could? Not only is it good for small Maine businesses, but it's convenient because you don't need to worry about those presents getting anywhere on time. But what if you want presents to arrive before Christmas if you are sending them?

Well, there's some hope. And some sorrow, haha. If you were hoping to send things by USPS Ground, that ship has sailed. This past Tuesday was the last day stuff could make it before Christmas with that service. But there's still a couple deadlines you can hit, and hopefully have your presents get there on time.

According to WABI - TV5, via CNN, Tuesday was also the last day that you can use for  FedEx Home Delivery and FedEx Ground. But not all hope is lost. Tomorrow (Friday), is the last day for USPS First Class service. Cards and packages will need to get moving by then, or arrive a wee bit late. Monday is the last day for FedEx Express Saver and three-day freight, as well as UPS Three-Day Select.

Obviously, because of COVID, more people are mailing packages for Christmas than ever before. I was in line at UPS last week, and heard the woman behind the counter (for the one hour they're open, from 9:00am - 10:00am, WTF?!), say that they're handling an average of well over 40,000 packages a day right now.

So be kind to your letter carrier, UPS or FedEx driver, or whoever shows up with your packages. They're working their tails off, and likely as short handed as everyone else right now. It's pretty obvious that this year, Santa's Elves are wearing brown uniforms and driving a delivery truck. Treat them as such.

And, Merry Christmas!