When to mail Christmas cards in 2026
The last day USPS recommends for First-Class Mail to arrive by Christmas is Thursday, December 17, 2026. Cards going abroad or to a military address have to leave about a week earlier, on Wednesday, December 9. These are the latest dates. Mailing earlier is safer. Below are the official dates, then a schedule I made that works backward from them.
USPS recommended mailing dates, 2026
Copied from the USPS page 2026 Holiday Shipping Deadlines (usps.com), which I read on October 15, 2026. A standard card in an envelope goes First-Class Mail.
| Destination | Service | Last recommended date |
|---|---|---|
| Contiguous U.S. | First-Class Mail | Thu, Dec. 17 |
| Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories | First-Class Mail | Thu, Dec. 17 |
| Contiguous U.S. and territories | Priority Mail | Fri, Dec. 18 |
| Contiguous U.S. and territories | Priority Mail Express | Sat, Dec. 19 |
| International: Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia/Pacific Rim, Australia/New Zealand, Africa, Caribbean, Central and South America, Middle East | First-Class Package International, Priority Mail International | Wed, Dec. 9 |
| International, same regions | Priority Mail Express International | Wed, Dec. 16 |
| Military (APO/FPO/DPO), ZIP prefixes 090–099, 340 and 962–966 | First-Class Mail, Priority Mail | Wed, Dec. 9 |
Every international region on the USPS page has the same dates, so the table groups them. USPS lists the package services for international mail, so for a plain card ask at the counter which service applies, and treat December 9 as your deadline either way. I left out USPS Ground Advantage for Alaska, Hawaii and the territories, because the page lists it with a footnote and I could not read that date reliably. Check the USPS page for it.
I did not find 2026 dates for Canada Post or Royal Mail, so this page covers USPS only. Mailing from outside the U.S.? Use your own postal service's page.
A schedule that works backward (mine)
This is my own plan; USPS gives only the deadlines. The idea is to mail well before the last date, so a delay or a wrong address does not cost you the card. I use the first week of December for U.S. cards and the last week of November for cards abroad, and I count back from there.
| Step | Cards abroad and military | U.S. cards |
|---|---|---|
| Send the address link | Fri, Oct. 30 | Fri, Nov. 6 |
| Nudge whoever has not answered | Fri, Nov. 13 | Fri, Nov. 20 |
| Print labels, buy stamps | Sun, Nov. 22 | Sun, Nov. 29 |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | Fri, Dec. 4 | |
| Official last date | Wed, Dec. 9 | Thu, Dec. 17 |
In both columns the address link goes out four weeks before the mailing date. That is enough time for people to answer, for you to chase the stragglers once, and for a few evenings of writing. The gap between the mailing date and the official date (twelve days abroad, thirteen in the U.S.) is your buffer.
If you are starting late, the order of work stays the same. Skip the nudge, send the link now, and mail whatever is ready by the official date.
Start the list today
The card list on this site gives you the link for the first step. People type in their own address, you tick off cards as you mail them, and the labels print from the list. Free, no account.
More: what to say when you ask for addresses and how to address the envelopes.