I don’t know about you guys, but when John was deployed, I was obsessed with making sure that Christmas boxes and cards got to him by–or before–Christmas. It hurt my heart to think that he might spend the holiday without any gifts or reminders that there were people who loved him at home.
While there’s never a guarantee that your mail will make it in time (trust me, one time it took John 6 months to get a letter I sent him… it got routed through Cuba, go figure), abiding by the guidelines that the military puts out is one great way to make sure you have plenty of time.
Here are the deadlines to make sure that mail gets to your loved one by Christmas, as published by Naval Supply Systems Command, in cooperation with the U.S Postal Service, Military Postal Service Agency, and Joint Military Postal Activity:
(I made that nifty graphic so you can save it on Pinterest or print it out and stick it near you care package stuff. Or of course, you can do both!)
Mailing deadlines:
AE zips 090-098 (except 093)
- Priority Mail Express Military Service: Dec. 16
- First-Class and Priority Mail: Dec. 11
- Space Available Mail: Nov. 27
- Retail Ground Mail: Nov. 6
AA zips 340
- Priority Mail Express Military Service: Dec. 16
- First-Class and Priority Mail: Dec. 11
- Space Available Mail: Nov. 27
- Retail Ground Mail: Nov. 6
AP zips 962-966
- Priority Mail Express Military Service: Dec. 16
- First-Class and Priority Mail: Dec. 11
- Space Available Mail: Nov. 27
- Retail Ground Mail: Nov. 6
AE ZIP 093
- Priority Mail Express Military Service: N/A
- First-Class and Priority Mail: Dec. 4
- Space Available Mail: Nov. 27
- Retail Ground Mail: Nov. 6
Domestic Mail
- First-Class: Dec. 19
- Priority Mail: Dec. 20
- Priority Express Mail: Dec. 22
If you’re sending international first-class packages or priority mail:
- Africa: Nov. 30
- Central America: Nov. 30
- South America: Nov. 30
- Asia/Pacific Rim: Dec. 7
- Australia/New Zealand: Dec. 7
- Canada: Dec. 7
- Caribbean: Dec. 7
- Europe: Dec. 7
- Mexico: Dec. 7
- Middle East: Dec. 7
Care package resources
If you’re feeling a little burnt out from this separation, deployment, or whatever, don’t worry. I’ve got you covered with some tips, ideas, and help so that you can send a really lovely holiday package to the person you’re missing. Check these out:
- 22 Christmas care package ideas
- Here’s what troops really want in a care package
- Here’s how to avoid common care package disasters
