Shipping gifts, greeting cards, and bundles of cookies- Americans are expected to ship more than 15 billion pieces of mail and 850 million packages this holiday season. The extra rush means getting your packages to the post office in time is extra important. 

The first of the holiday deadlines for delivery by Christmas is quickly approaching. 

Next Monday, December 11th is the deadline to ship APO/FPO/DPO Priority Mail & First Class Mail for delivery by the holiday. 

"The Postal Service is well prepared to meet our customers' needs during the holiday season, especially as demand for package deliveries continues to grow," said Youngstown Postmaster Tom Kerns.  

The Postal Service recommends the following mailing and shipping deadlines:

·         Dec. 11    – APO/FPO/DPO Priority Mail & First Class Mail

·         Dec. 14    – USPS Retail Ground

·         Dec. 16    – APO/FPO/DPO USPS Priority Mail Express

·         Dec. 19    – First Class Mail (including greeting cards)

·         Dec. 20    – Priority Mail

·         Dec. 22    – Priority Mail Express

The Postal Service already delivers packages on Sundays in most major cities and anticipates delivering more than 6 million packages on Sundays this December. 

The Post Office will be open in select locations on December 10 and 17. 

"By opening our Boardman and Poland Branches on Sundays, we are hoping to make shipping during the holidays as convenient as possible," said Kerns.

With an increase in early and online shopping for gifts, there is no longer a "busiest day" for holiday shipping. Instead, the Postal Service's busiest time is now two weeks before Christmas. 

The week of December 18th - 24th is predicted to be the busiest mailing, shipping, and delivery week.              

The Postal Service offers a new feature this year to help you track and schedule package delivery. 

The Informed Delivery tool allows you to see your incoming mail and packages, and reschedule the delivery if you're not able to be home to receive them.