USPS Announces 2007 Dates for Military Holiday Mail

Sending a package to a serviceman, family, or friends that are stationed overseas? If they have a military post office address (an APO address) you may need to start your holiday shopping sooner than you think! Senders who want their gifts to arrive in time for Christmas should take heed of the advised shipping dates published by the USPS for 2007. With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, holiday shoppers may need to expedite their shopping calendar if they want a gift to reach their military or civilian friends and family stationed overseas in time for Christmas this year.

The earliest looming deadline for military post is November 13. If you are hoping to send your package to an APO address via parcel post, that's the date the USPS advises that you have your package in the mail. Considering space available mail? Those packages will need to be postmarked to all APO addresses by November 27th. These two holiday mailing guidelines are the earliest, and cheapest, options.

If you are planning to send your package via the more expensive options of priority mail, parcel airlift mail, or express mail, you leave yourself the biggest window of time to continue your shopping. The dates for these packages range from December 1st at the earliest to December 11th at the latest. Those these three options will be slightly more pricey than parcel post or space available mail, they leave shoppers more time to get their packages ready for shipping.

Cards and letters that people would like to have delivered in time for Christmas should also be postmarked by December 11th.

If this is the first time you've attempted to mail a package overseas through a military address (an APO address), keep in mind a few things before you head out to the post office. Mailing a package to a military installation abroad doesn't cost the same as shipping to an international address. Don't be had by anyone that tells you otherwise. However, you will need to include a customs form, identifying the package's contents.