TEXAS — Tis’ the season to get your holiday shipping done, and if those gifts are heading to the post office, the deadlines to get packages in by Christmas are coming up fast.

For Christmas delivery with the U.S. Postal Service: 

Dec. 17: Ground Advantage, First-Class Mail 
Dec. 18: Priority Mail
Dec. 20: Priority Mail Express

Shipments to Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico have varied deadlines too, but priority mail is due Thursday.

For Christmas delivery with FedEx: 

Dec. 17: Ground and Home Delivery (delivery takes one to five days) 
Dec. 20: Express Saver (three days)
Dec. 22: 2Day and 2Day A.M.
Dec. 23: First Class, Priority or Standard Overnight
Dec. 24: Same Day (schedule in advance)

 For Christmas delivery with UPS: 

Dec. 19: 3 Day Select
Dec. 22: 2nd Day Air
Dec. 23: Next Day Air

Ground shipping deadlines vary by location, so check with the local store, but generally speaking, Dec. 17 and Dec. 18 are good days to ship on to get gifts delivered by Christmas Day.

This year, the Postal Service said it is expecting 35% more packages and mail for Christmas than last year.

The Postal Service said it has opened 200 new processing facilities this year, including in Dallas, to help with the extra volume. It also hired an additional 14,000 seasonal employees nationwide.

Spectrum News spoke with a few Postal Service customers this week. 

Richard was shipping his Christmas gifts to West Virginia this year.

“For my grandkids out there,” said Richard. “They don’t live around the corner, so we got it out. We got the last gift in overnight, so we got the package out this morning.”

Tabitha also normally ships gifts to other states through the Postal Service.

“I want them to be able to open their presents wrapped,” said Tabitha. “You know, Amazon will wrap it for you, but it’s not really pretty or cute and other places don’t offer that, so I like to ship it to me and then wrap it and them to be able to get it under their Christmas tree on time, so it feels like we’re there.”

The Postal Service approved a fee change in August for a few services for the holiday season.

They are Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, Ground Advantage and Parcel Select. 

The additional fees range from a few cents to a $16 difference depending on what service is selected.

The Postal Service said it will help cover extra costs and ensure a successful, busy holiday season.