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It's the most wonderful time of the year, and while the holiday season may have sneaked up on some of us, that doesn't mean your last-minute shipping woes need to sneak up on you as well. 

Retailers across the U.S. are urging customers to finish their holiday shopping early this year,

 and other shortages are posing a concern for many hot products on this year's shopping lists. 

The U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS have all released their deadlines for holiday packages and cards to arrive by Dec. 25 — telling customers to mail their holiday packages earlier rather than later. 

"We are ready and positioned to have a successful peak season," said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in a statement 

. "Americans should feel confident sending their holiday cards, mail and packages with the Postal Service. There is a spirit of excitement throughout [USPS] and our entire team is ready to deliver the holidays for the nation."

Here's a list of the major shipping deadlines for each of the services — aka the last possible day for you to procrastinate on sending those packages:

USPS officials recommend shipping your items by the following dates to guarantee they arrive by Christmas Day:

2021 holiday shipping dates for the contiguous U.S.

2021 holiday shipping dates for Alaska and Hawaii

For more information on international and military shipping deadlines, 

In order for your packages to be delivered by Christmas Day, UPS is urging customers to ship their packages by the following deadlines:

If you're using ground shipping, UPS has an 

 to help you determine when your package will arrive in addition to an 

For a full list of shipping options, including international shipping, 

If you couldn't help but send those holiday packages at the 

last minute, FedEx may be the option for you for getting them to their destination on time. Here's a list of FedEx shipping deadlines:

For more information regarding other deadlines, such as international destinations, 

Business and Economic News

Jonathan Franklin

Author

To all those holiday present procrastinators out there (you know who you are): Be sure to ship that holiday gift sooner rather than later to get those presents to their destination before Dec. 25.

If you want your holiday package to arrive on time, here are the deadlines to know

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