Postal Service announces holiday shipping deadlines

To ensure holiday delivery of cards, letters and packages in the United States by Dec. 25, the U.S. Postal Service recommends customers ship items by the following dates:

Dec. 15 -- Standard post, ground service for less-than-urgent deliveries and oversized packages

Dec. 19 -- First class, for standard-size envelopes and small packages weighing up to 13 ounces with delivery in three or fewer business days

Dec. 21 -- Priority Mail for delivery in one to three business days

Dec. 23 -- Priority Mail Express, with guaranteed overnight scheduled delivery to most locations

The deadline for international mail generally is Dec. 1. For packages to military members worldwide it's Nov. 25 for space-available mail and Dec. 3 or Dec. 10 for first-class letters and cards or Priority Mail.

A complete list of deadlines is available at usps.com.

This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 3:39 PM with the headline "Postal Service announces holiday shipping deadlines ."