What’s the latest you can mail gifts from KY to arrive for Christmas? See these key dates

If you want your Christmas gifts to arrive on time for the holiday, some key last-minute shipping deadlines land this week you won’t want to miss.

In general, you can expect to pay a premium to get your packages delivered by Christmas the longer you wait to ship, so don’t delay.

In case you need a reminder, all U.S. Post Office locations will be closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Postal services and hours can vary by location, so check your Lexington or greater Kentucky post office to confirm.

Here are the shipping dates to watch this holiday season:

USPS

Below are the U.S. Postal Service’s recommended send-by dates for expected delivery before Wednesday, Dec. 25, in the contiguous U.S. There’s a separate set of recommended shipping dates for Alaska and Hawaii.

2024 holiday shipping dates for the lower 48 states:

• Ground: Wednesday, Dec. 18

• First-class: Dec. 18

• Priority: Thursday, Dec. 19

• Priority Express: Saturday, Dec. 21

2024 holiday shipping dates for Alaska and Hawaii:

• Ground: Monday, Dec. 16

• First-class: Dec. 18

• Priority: Dec. 19

• Priority Express: Friday, Dec. 20

USPS notes actual delivery dates may vary based on several factors, so don’t delay and ship as early as possible.

FedEx

For Tuesday, Dec. 24, delivery, here are the key dates for FedEx:

• Ground: Monday, Dec. 23 for the same-day option; Dec. 18 for the four-day option

• FedEx Express saver: Dec. 19

• FedEx 2-day and FedEx 2-day AM: Dec. 20

• FedEx First Overnight, FedEx Priority Overnight, FedEx Standard Overnight, Extra Hours: Dec. 23

• FedEx same day: Dec. 24

A full breakdown of FedEx’s shipping dates are available at fedex.com/holiday.

UPS

Here are the recommended last days to ship for Dec. 24 delivery for shipping through United Parcel Service:

• UPS Ground: Go to ups.com/ctc for details.

• 3-day select: Dec. 19

• 2nd day air: Dec. 20

• Next day air: Dec. 23

UPS does not offer pickup or delivery services Christmas Day.

Do you have a question about Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.

This story was originally published December 17, 2024 at 1:39 PM.

Aaron Mudd

Lexington Herald-Leader

Aaron Mudd was a service journalism reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader, Centre Daily Times and Belleville News-Democrat. He was based at the Herald-Leader in Lexington, and left the paper in February 2026. Support my work with a digital subscription