Holiday shipping deadlines: Here’s when you need to mail that gift

The holidays can be stressful, and it’s all too easy to forget to send off that package or card through Canada Post or another shipping service before the deadline.

Millions of packages will be in transit this month: Canada Post predicts it will deliver more than 40 million packages this holiday season, while Puralotor ships another 17 million pieces.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the shipping options open to Canadians, and dates to keep in mind for sending a letter or parcel in time for the holidays.

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Canada Post

Canada Post starts planning for the holidays in the summer. An additional 2,500 seasonal staff are brought on to handle the volume, and 900 delivery trucks are added to the roads.

“Last year we delivered 2.2 million parcels over eight weekends and this holiday season, we expect to deliver more than three million parcels on Sundays alone,” said Canada Post spokesperson Phil Legault in an email to Global News.

Some of Canada Post’s “suggested mailing dates” have already passed, but there is still time before the postal service’s other deadlines.

Packages within Canada must be sent by Dec. 12 for regular parcel service, Dec. 21 for Xpresspost, and Dec. 22 for Priority.

WATCH: Christmas crunch time for Canada Post letter carriers (2015)

If you’re sending a card outside your province, it should be in the mail by Dec. 19, a day later if it’s going within your province, or Dec. 21 for cards staying local. Cards to the U.S. should be in the mail by Dec. 12.

If you’re sending cards overseas, you’re likely out of luck. The cutoff date to send letters to Africa was Nov. 21, and the cutoff date for Asia, Europe, Australia and South America was Dec. 5.

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The last days to send packages overseas, depending on their destination, range from Dec. 17 to Dec. 20 with Priority shipping.

If you’re sending a parcel outside of Canada, you can save some time by filling out the customs form online before you head to the post office.

FedEx

With FedEx you can ship a package as late as Dec. 22 to most metropolitan areas within Canada and the United States, for delivery before Dec. 25. As you can imagine, the last-minute service isn’t the most economical shipping option.

Dec. 21 is the cutoff for shipping to select cities in Latin America and the Caribbean, Dec. 20 is the cutoff for some cities in the Asia-Pacific, and Dec. 19 is the cutoff for some cities in the Middle East and Africa.

You can get a quote for FedEx shipping costs here.

Purolator

Puralator’s busiest shipping day of the month is Dec. 12.

Canadians have until Dec. 22 to send a package within Canada, to be delivered by Dec. 24. Packages heading to the U.S. will need to be sent by Dec. 21, using next-day delivery.

The last chance to send a package to Australia, South America or the Caribbean is Dec. 19, while deadlines for other international destinations are between Dec. 12 and Dec. 16.

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Packing tips from the pros

• Choose a sturdy box, and remove any old shipping labels or addresses.
• Wrap the items in paper or newspaper.
• If there are individually wrapped or packaged items inside a larger box, make sure all are labelled.
• Wrap items and fill extra space with a cushioning material, such as bubble wrap or an old shirt.
• Tape all seams with reinforced tape.
• Be sure to write the destination and return address on the top of the box.