Next week is Thanksgiving which kicks off Black Friday and the start of the holiday shopping season. Many people ship holiday cards and gifts to family and friends. The shipping companies have deadlines for when packages must be posted in order to reach their destinations by December 24.

Below are deadlines and policies for the United States Postal Service, UPS and FedEx.

United States Postal Service

Deadlines for domestic shipping:

• Parcel Post: Dec. 14
• First-class mail: Dec. 20
• Priority Mail: Dec. 21
• Express Mail: Dec. 22

Locations

• USPS: Paoli: 41 Paoli Plaza, Paoli. 610-296-0648
• USPS: Berwyn: 662 Lancaster Ave., Berwyn. 610-644-1311
• USPS: Wayne: 1000 West Valley Road, Wayne. 610-964-6448
• USPS: Devon: 7 North Waterloo Road, Devon. 610-688-1140

Extras: The USPS website has deadlines for shipping internationally and to military personnel. You can also order packaging supplies, holiday stamps, and find store operating hours on the USPS website.

FedEx

Deadlines for domestic shipping:

• FedEx Ground/Home Delivery: Dec. 17
• FedEx Express Saver: Dec. 19
• FedEx Overnight: Dec. 22
• FedEx Same Day: Dec. 25

Locations

• FedEx: 381 West Lancaster Ave., Wayne. 610-995-1209
• Ship and Copy Center: 1776 East Lancaster Ave., Paoli. 610-296-4180.

Extras: The FedEx website offers location information and ideas for packing and shipping holiday items. It also outlines a suspension of certain money-back guarantees for services from Tuesday December 18 through Monday December 24. 

UPS

Deadlines for domestic shipping:

• UPS 2nd Day Air: Dec. 20
• UPS Next Day Air: Dec. 21

Locations:

• UPS Store: 303 West Lancaster Ave., Wayne. 610-975-0860
• UPS Store: 295 East Swedesford Road, Wayne. 610-975-9500

Extras: UPS has normal delivery service for air, international and ground packages on December 24 and no pickup or delivery on December 25. Visit the UPS website for details on international shipping. Click here for the complete UPS 2012 Holiday Shipping schedule.

Do you ship any gifts for the holidays? What is your preferred shipping method? Let Patch know in the comments.