Feel that chill in the Chicago air?
It means the winter holidays are approaching, and the United States Postal Service has already released its domestic holiday shipping deadlines and dates for 2024. And this year, some of the biggest holidays are back-to-back.
The first day of Hanukkah for 2024 falls at sundown on Christmas Day, Wednesday, Dec. 25, and the first day of Kwanzaa falls on Thursday, Dec. 26.
"The earlier you send, the better," the USPS said in a post.
In order for expected delivery before Dec. 25, the USPS recommends sending packages via ground service or First-Class mail by Dec. 18. Priority mail packages should be sent before Dec. 19, and Priority Mail Express Service packages should be sent by Dec. 21, the USPS said.
For packages shipped to Alaska and Hawaii, those days are slightly altered, the USPS said, with shipping dates for ground service beginning Dec. 16.
Dates and timetables for packages shipped internationally are even earlier, the USPS said, some beginning early in December. A full list of holiday shipping dates and deadlines for international mail can be found here.
Local
According to a release, the Postal Service will increase daily processing capacity to approximately 60 million ahead of the the 2024 peak holiday season. It also plans to hire 7,400 seasonal staff and has made a number of upgrades in its fleet, shipping services and technology.
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