Christmas may be about six weeks away, but it is time to start thinking about where you plan to send gifts, packages and mail. The United States Postal Service is predicting that over 365 million packages will be delivered this holiday season, which is 20% more than 2011.

The United States Postal Service would like you to know some key dates for their various shipping deadlines if you want your package to reach its destination by Christmas. If you plan to send Priority Mail International, December 3 is your deadline; Dec. 11 is Express Mail International; Dec. 17 is Global Express Guaranteed; Dec. 21 is Priority Mail Domestic; and Dec. 22 is Express Mail Domestic.

For those that are curious, the biggest mailing day for packages and mail this year is expected to be Monday, Dec. 17 when more than 655 million pieces of mail are expected to be processed, while 538 million pieces of mail are processed on an average day.

Bottom line is that if you plan to send out your holiday cards, end-of-year reviews, packages and gifts, you better start thinking about it now since it is becoming easier and easier to ship.

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