How to Send Mail on USPS Postal Holidays

Sending mail during the Christmas season can seem a bit hectic. Actually, let’s be honest, the month of December as a whole can be chaotic. Then trying to send out your holiday gifts and mail your Christmas cards and letters on top of it can also be a bit much. On top of that, there’s also the added stress of knowing when the postal holidays are, when the Post Office is closed and when deadlines are to get everything mailed on time for it to get to its destination before Christmas.

So much to think about.

U.S. Postal Holidays 2023 – Christmas and New Year’s Day

We’ll get right to the point on when the USPS is closed during this time of year. The 2023 postal holiday schedule is pretty simple. The Post Office is Closed on Christmas, December 25th and New Year’s Day, January 1st. Many wonder, “Is December 26 a postal holiday?” and it is not. USPS mail runs the day after Christmas each year…at least for now.

Others also wonder “Is Christmas Eve a postal holiday?” It is not, however, what you may not know is that some of the Post Offices do close early on Christmas Eve, December 24th. We recommend calling your local USPS Post Office to see what their hours are. Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

Like the Post Office, we are closed on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. However, we are open and mailing on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. We do have limited staff during this time of year and we too deal with USPS backups of mail but our team is working extra hard to always provide fast, perfect mail for our customers.

Our 2023 postal holiday calendar can be found here and the USPS postal holiday schedule 2023 can be found here.

mail truck for the usps postal service in a christmas tree for mailing on postal holidays

Shipping Deadlines for Christmas 2023

The shipping deadlines for Christmas 2023 vary, but here are some general deadlines:

USPS:

USPS Ground Advantage — December 16
First-Class Mail (including greeting cards) — December 16
Priority Mail — December 18
Priority Mail Express — December 20

FedEx:

FedEx Home Delivery: 1-Day Shipping — December 22
2-Day Shipping — December 21
3-Day Shipping — December 20
4-Day Shipping — December 18
5-Day Shipping – December 15

The USPS gives a more in-depth overview of mailing deadlines, here.

Tips for Getting Mail Out Before the Delay

Christmas tree, Christmas mailbox with a mail truck in front of a merry christmas can

If you’re worried about getting your mail out on time before the Christmas rush, here are some quick tips to avoid any delays with your mail delivery service:

Get your mail out ASAP. Start early if you can
Use Priority or Express Mail services
Double-check addresses
Include return addresses in case there are any issues
Avoid peak shipping days
Send letters, cards and mail online through the LetterStream portal so you never have to set foot in the Post Office
Track your shipments and track your letters

You’re probably not going to be using Certified Mail to send your holiday mail, however, if you use it for other purposes or you just decide to, here is where you can track your USPS Certified Mail on our website.

LetterStream Is Open on Certain Postal Holidays

Ok, now let’s talk a little bit about LetterStream during other postal mail holidays. A fun fact about us is that there are a lot of holidays when the USPS is closed, however, we can still get your mail out for you!

You may be wondering how that is possible. If the Post Office is closed during postal holidays, then how is mail being delivered through LetterStream? Good question!

LetterStream is a printing and mailing company that works with the USPS. Just because the front counters are empty and the doors are closed to the public doesn’t mean that the back-office staff (those behind the scenes of the United States Postal Service aren’t still working hard). Because of that, we can have our dedicated team work on getting your mailings out the door and a driver to pick up the letters that need to be delivered.

Even though the mail may not be delivered on the actual holiday because USPS drivers are off, that doesn’t mean that we can’t get the internal process done beforehand. This allows us to be ahead of the curve for the next day’s mailing schedule. If mail goes out the door during a postal holiday then that means it is ready to be mailed the next day, whereas if we were closed we’d still have to do our internal part the next day. Basically, we’re one step ahead of the Post Office by being open on certain postal holidays.

The USPS accepts and processes our mail on President’s Day (Washington’s birthday), Columbus Day, Veterans’ Day, MLK Day and Juneteenth.

Click here to view our Postal Holidays 2024 Schedule which gives you a complete overview of when the Post Office is closed, when LetterStream is closed and when we are open and mailing even if the Post Office isn’t open.

Happy Holidays and Happy Mailing!

The USPS Holiday Season is Here! Let’s Give Thanks!

As we are in the thick of the holiday season with the increase in USPS holiday mail, our hearts are filled with warmth and joy over here at LetterStream. This time of year allows us to reflect on the abundance of blessings that surround us, from the meaningful connections we’ve forged to the challenges we’ve overcome together. As we are navigating our busy season with the increase of USPS holiday mail, we can’t help but reflect on how thankful we are for being able to still produce fast, perfect mail for our customers after all of these years.

In the spirit of gratitude, we invite you to join us in appreciating the moments that make this season so special. Here are a few ways we are truly grateful this holiday season and every day:

Expressing Thanks for Team Collaborations

LetterStream’s success as a printing and mailing company is a testament to the incredible team that works diligently behind the scenes. This holiday season, we extend our deepest gratitude to each team member who contributes their unique skills and perspectives, fostering an environment of creativity and innovation. Together, we’ve achieved milestones and faced challenges head-on, emerging stronger and more resilient.

As a team, we just held our Q3 Bonus Party and Thanksgiving Dinner. Our theme this year was, indeed, gratitude. Every quarter we do a bonus party for our staff because we want to let them know how grateful we are for the hard work they do, the mail they help produce and their dedication to not only LetterStream as a company but to our customers that we work with daily. It’s our way to say “thank you” to them each quarter.

This bonus party felt a little extra special this year. As a company and as individuals we have so much to be grateful for and we not only wanted to showcase that at our dinner but it’s also something we are remembering and practicing for the rest of this quarter (and beyond).

Appreciating Our Loyal Customers

To our valued customers, we want to express our heartfelt appreciation for the trust you’ve placed in us over the last 20 years. Your unwavering support has been the driving force behind our commitment to excellence.

Our loyalty and commitment has always been about treasuring people. In fact, that is our top core value; “we believe in the tremendous value of people and that all should be treasured.” With that said, we are excited to continue our growth into 2024 while finding new ways to continuously improve our processes to help add value and ease for our customers.

This holiday season, we celebrate the relationships we’ve built and look forward to continuing our journey together in the coming year.

Reflecting on Community Engagement

Beyond the office walls, our commitment to gratitude extends to the communities we serve. Whether through charitable initiatives or local partnerships, LetterStream is dedicated to making a positive impact.

This year we contributed donations to the different Maui wildfire relief efforts to help individuals and animals affected by the fires. We are also currently participating in the St. Mary’s Food Drive and Toys for Tots program to help those in need.

This holiday season, we encourage everyone to find opportunities to give back to those in need. Not only does it bring joy to those who are less fortunate but it also helps build the collective strength that comes from supporting one another.

First-class mail on top of Certified Mail envelopes with Christmas decor around it for usps holiday mail

Counting Our Blessings in a Digital World

In a fast-paced, digital age, taking a moment to unplug and appreciate the simple joys can be transformative. Even though we are a SAAS company, we still encourage everyone to embrace the beauty of simplicity through meaningful in-person connections.

Maybe that looks like sitting down with someone for a meal or coffee, bringing in donuts or cookies to team members as a small token of appreciation, writing a handwritten note, or giving a nice card. Maybe it’s as simple as telling someone that you appreciate them or saying “thanks for being such a great help and I’m so thankful we worked on this project together to get the job done.”

Recognizing the power of personal connections in an increasingly virtual landscape is so important to remember.

All-in-all, let’s come together to celebrate the spirit of gratitude this holiday season! We are so thankful for the relationships we’ve cultivated, the challenges that have shaped us, and the opportunities that lie ahead. As we express our gratitude, may we inspire others to do the same, creating a ripple effect of positivity that extends far beyond the holiday season!

And, just a friendly reminder to check the USPS website or our blog post for the postal holidays schedule so you can plan your USPS holiday mail and printing and mailing needs accordingly.

Remember: There is always something to be GRATEFUL for.

With so much gratitude and appreciation,

The LetterStream Team

How Can You Send Mail on Postal Holidays?

USPS Post Office Sign

LetterStream can send your mail even when the post office is closed for a holiday. This might be hard to believe, but it is true! The United States Postal Service (USPS) will accept our mail at the post office on some postal holidays even though the front doors are locked.

The holidays that the USPS accepts and processes our mail include Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (MLK Day), President’s Day, Juneteenth, Veteran’s Day and Columbus Day.

Our mailing process is a bit different than putting a letter in your personal mailbox or dropping letters in the big blue USPS mailboxes. In fact, we even skip the front counter of the local post office and go directly to the USPS Bulk Mail Entry Unit (BMEU).

BMEU’s process large quantities of mail each day and are basically the main drop point of large mailers across the country. In order to accommodate the large mailing volume, BMEU’s maintain a slightly different holiday schedule than the retail operations of the postal service. This allows larger mailers to keep their mail traveling through the postal system when most other organizations cannot.

So feel free to use LetterStream.com to create first-class mail, postcards, standard-mail and non-profit mail, even on holidays.

The only catch is that on holidays when we take mail to the post office, we are only able to mail Certified Letters if we have more than 200 of them (that is nearly always the case, but it is something to keep in mind anyway).

We recommend creating your certified letters anytime you have them–most holidays we do have enough to meet the postal minimum.