BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — It's the season of giving, and many people will be mailing out gifts over the holidays. For some families, the only way to get Christmas presents is to ship them by mail, and if that's the only option, it's best to do that as soon as possible.
"The postal service is holiday ready," says USPS Postmaster Jamie Wright. "We have been preparing for this since January. The season has been on our mind this entire year, so we are ready, but we want to make sure you are ready."
One of the ways in which the post office is holiday ready is in the various ways they have to help postal customers get their packages into the mail. Kern County postal customer Dorit Goldstein makes use of the USPS curbside and online customer service tools.
"Normally, I don't come to the post office. I just have it picked up at my house. I go online, I create the labels, and I just ship it from home," said Goldstein.
Another postal customer, Beth Espinoza, prefers the one-stop convenience of the post office.
"It's easier to com to the post office and do it yourself at the kiosk," said Espinoza.
Wright says that in order for Christmas gifts to make it to their destinations on time, it is crucial to plan your shipping accordingly.
USPS Christmas Shipping Deadlines 2022
These are the recommended send-by dates for expected delivery before Sunday, December 25 in the lower 48 United States:
- Retail ground: send by Saturday, December 17
- First-Class Mail: send by Saturday, December 17
- Priority Mail: send by Monday, December 19
- Priority Mail Express: send by Friday, December 23
"The busiest time of year will be December the 12th through the 17th, so keep that in mind when shipping out your packages," said Wright.
If you plan to send Grandma that framed picture, or any fragile item this year, Wright gives a tip on how to make sure it gets to her undamaged.
"Just make sure that there is plenty of room on the outside of these fragile items to fill it in with something that could cushion the potential fragile items in there from getting damaged in transit," said Wright.
Bear in mind that during such a busy time, it's possible that your packages could go through some wear and tear. Make sure shipping labels are clearly visible and securely fixed to the package.
Still, Wright says it's a good idea to put a label inside the box as well, so any packages that are lost due to the shipping label being difficult to read can still be recovered after the fact.
"Say something happened to the outside of that label, the outside box label gets torn off or it gets smudged in such a way that nobody can read it," said Wright. "That package would go to our mail recovery center, and if you have a label inside, we would be able to see where that package needs to go."
And for those wondering when the deadline is for letters to Santa, Wright says that's coming up soon, too.
"The deadline for letters to Santa is December the 12th," said Wright. "It must be postmarked by December the 12th."
