United States Postal Service:

-  Dec. 15 (Wednesday): Parcel Post

-  Dec. 18 (Saturday): DBMC Drop Ship

-  Dec. 20: First Class Mail

-  Dec. 21: Priority Mail

-  Dec. 22: DDU Drop Ship

-  Dec. 24: Express Mail*

*The official national deadline for this is Dec. 22, but USPS does do overnight deliveries for Christmas Day, said Kathy Sipple, postmaster of the Bryn Mawr Post Office.

Additional suggestions: Sipple recommends making sure things are properly addressed and properly packaged. For example, include zip codes and don't use tissue paper to wrap gifts.  Carriers are told to leave packages in a secure spot if no one is home.

"That's the key, not to wail 'til the last minute," Sipple said.

For more details, check out http://www.usps.com/holiday/shippingcalendar.htm

The UPS Store (National Deadlines):

- Dec. 19: Mail going to military overseas APO/FPO locations (other than Iraq and Afghanistan, which should have been mailed by Dec. 4)

- Dec. 21: Ship UPS 3 Day Select

- Dec. 22: Ship UPS 2^nd Day Air

- Dec. 23: Ship UPS Next Day Air

UPS' Recommended Holiday Shipping Deadlines for Bryn Mawr*:

-  Dec. 15 (Wednesday): Parts of Oregon and Idaho

-  Dec. 16 (Thursday): Washington, Montana, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Hawaii, Puerto Rico; parts of Oregon, Idaho, California, Arizona, Texas, North Dakota

-  Dec. 17 (Friday): Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Alaska; parts of North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, California

-  Dec. 20: Florida, Alabama, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas; parts of Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas

-  Dec. 21: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina; parts of New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Georgia

-  Dec. 22: Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland; parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, West Virginia

*See PDF for a complete map of national deadlines.

Additional suggestions: Steve Brady, an owner of Bryn Mawr's UPS store, recommends protecting fragile items with 2 inches of bubble wrap. High-value items are guaranteed for the full cost of the item and shipping cost if UPS packages and ships the package. He recommends allowing an extra day for ground shipments because of the volume of packages being shipped. UPS is responsible for packages delivered, so drivers use their discretion. Drivers won't leave a package unless it appears safe, or they will have a neighbor sign for it, Brady said. UPS does not deliver on Christmas Day, but they do overnight deliveries for Dec. 24.

FedEx (National Deadlines)

-  Dec. 15 (Wednesday): FedEx SmartPost (not a guaranteed service)

-  Dec. 17 (Friday): FedEx Home Delivery, FedEx Ground

-  Dec. 21: FedEx Express Saver

-  Dec. 22: FedEx 2Day

-  Dec. 23: FedEx Standard Overnight, FedEx Priority Overnight, FedEx First Overnight

-  Dec. 25: FedEx SameDay

For more details on national shipping and international shipping, go to http://fedex.com/us/holiday/shipping/lastdaystoship.html.