Christmas card timing
Mail them in the first two weeks of December. The Postal Service recommends sending First-Class cards by Thursday, December 17, 2026, for delivery before Christmas.
Source: the Postal Service’s 2026 holiday shipping dates.
Key dates
First-Class Mail usually takes one to five days, and December is the busiest month of the year for the Postal Service, so give it extra room. When we mail for you, we print and hand your cards to USPS within 2 business days, and they usually arrive 5 to 7 business days after that. Ordered today, they should land between October 20 and October 22.
Not really. A card that arrives between Christmas and New Year’s still gets read, and plenty of people send New Year’s cards on purpose. After December 17 the Postal Service no longer recommends First-Class Mail for Christmas delivery, so change the greeting and send them anyway.
Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 4 this year and ends December 12, so Hanukkah cards should go out in the last week of November. A card that says Happy holidays works for everyone on your list.
Etiquette
One photo, your message and your list. We paint the card, print it, address it and mail it first class, so there is no stack of envelopes waiting on your table.
See our watercolor Christmas cards or pet Christmas cards.
Start your cardQuestions
In the first two weeks of December. That gives First-Class Mail time to arrive before Christmas, even in the busiest month of the year for the Postal Service.
Thursday, December 17, 2026 is the Postal Service's recommended last day to send First-Class Mail for delivery before Christmas.
Usually one to five days by First-Class Mail, and longer in December. Give cards a full week if they have to cross the country.
No. Change the greeting to Happy New Year and send them in the last week of December or the first week of January.
With Mail Day Co., order by December 8 for guaranteed delivery before Christmas. Orders through December 17 still go out, without the Christmas promise.
