{"id":1321,"date":"2020-10-24T19:18:48","date_gmt":"2020-10-24T18:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1321"},"modified":"2022-10-21T08:08:04","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T07:08:04","slug":"when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"When Are the Christmas Post Cut-Off Dates for 2021?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry\">\n<p>The lead up to Christmas can feel quite overwhelming, especially if you\u2019ve got a large family or a huge circle of friends. With so much to do, it can be hard to know where to start. One of the first things that people do in the lead up to Christmas is to buy, write and post their Christmas cards.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s generally accepted that the beginning of December is the start of the Christmas period. Most people aim to give out their Christmas cards sometime between December 1<sup>st<\/sup> and the week before Christmas.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re planning to send your Christmas cards in the post, you\u2019ll need to be aware of how long they\u2019ll take to reach your recipient. So, when is the last posting date for Christmas cards in 2021? And will the coronavirus pandemic make any difference? Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n<h4>When Should I Post My Christmas Cards?<\/h4>\n<p>Most people try to time the posting of birthday cards so that they will arrive on the recipient\u2019s birthday (or the day before). But for Christmas cards, it\u2019s a little different. You\u2019ll want to make sure your recipient receives their card well before Christmas day itself. This is because:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cards help people get into the Christmas spirit, so they like to open them a little early<\/li>\n<li>The festive season is very busy for Royal Mail, so post may take longer than usual to arrive \u2013 and there\u2019s no post at all on Christmas Day<\/li>\n<li>Many people like to use their Christmas cards as decorations, hanging them up on the wall or displaying them on the mantelpiece or windowsill<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ll probably have so many cards to send, and so many other things to do in the lead up to Christmas, that you\u2019ll want to get Christmas cards out of the way ASAP.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Most people agree that the Christmas season begins on December 1<sup>st<\/sup>, or the first day of Advent. So, this is a good time to start writing and posting your Christmas cards. The first of December is when kids start opening their chocolate calendars, and when most people start to put up their Christmas trees and decorations.<\/p>\n<h4>How Early Is Too Early to Send Christmas Cards?<\/h4>\n<p>You may have noticed that shops seem to be preparing for Christmas earlier and earlier each year. Some stores even start playing Christmas music right after Halloween has finished, on November 1<sup>st<\/sup>. But most people consider this too soon, and certainly too early to receive a Christmas card.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019d advise to wait until December before you start giving out Christmas cards. You may get a few funny looks if you start sending them in November! Of course, you can certainly buy and write your cards earlier than this, if you want to be well-prepared. You should have your cards stamped and addressed in plenty of time, ready to post them in time for Christmas.<\/p>\n<h4>What Is the Last Date to Post Christmas Cards?<\/h4>\n<p>For most of the year, Royal Mail 1<sup>st<\/sup> Class post is usually delivered the next working day (which means Monday to Saturday, excluding bank holidays). 2<sup>nd <\/sup>Class post, on the other hand, usually arrives in 2-3 working days.<\/p>\n<p>So, if you post a letter on Monday, you can expect it to arrive on Tuesday if you sent it via first class, or on Wednesday or Thursday for second class. This is assuming you\u2019ve posted it before the last post box collection of the day, which varies by area.<\/p>\n<p>However, post may take a little longer at busier times of year, such as the Christmas period. This is because there\u2019s simply more post to be delivered than usual. Here are the last posting dates for Christmas 2021.<\/p>\n<h4>Royal Mail 2<sup>nd<\/sup> Class<\/h4>\n<p>Second class is the cheapest way to post Christmas cards. A second class stamp will set you back just 65p, which means that if you\u2019ve got a great many cards to send, it\u2019s the most economically sensible option.<\/p>\n<p>The drawback, of course, is that it\u2019s the slowest service. To guarantee that your cards will arrive before Christmas, post them no later than <strong>Friday 18<sup>th<\/sup> December <\/strong>if you\u2019re using a second-class stamp.<\/p>\n<h4>Royal Mail 1<sup>st<\/sup> Class<\/h4>\n<p>For first class post, you\u2019ve got a little more time to play with. Christmas cards sent via first class will arrive quicker \u2013 but you will have to pay 76p for each stamp.<\/p>\n<p>During the festive season, first class post may take up to 3 working days to arrive (and no post is delivered on Christmas day itself). So, Royal Mail recommends that you post your first class Christmas cards no later than <strong>Monday 21<sup>st<\/sup> December<\/strong>. The same goes for Royal Mail Tracked 48.<\/p>\n<h4>Royal Mail Tracked 24<\/h4>\n<p>Royal Mail Tracked 24 is a service which can only be purchased online \u2013 so you can\u2019t walk into your local Post Office and ask for it. Using this service, post is normally delivered within 24 hours. It\u2019s also tracked, so you can keep an eye on the whereabouts of your delivery \u2013 perfect if you\u2019re sending something valuable.<\/p>\n<p>But in the busy week before to Christmas, items posted with Royal Mail Tracked 24 may take an extra day to arrive. So, post your card no later than <strong>Tuesday 22<sup>nd<\/sup> December. <\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Special Delivery Guaranteed<\/h4>\n<p>Special Deliver y Guaranteed is the fastest Royal Mail delivery option. This service guarantees delivery the very next working day, no matter what. Yes, this applies to the Christmas period too! Unfortunately, though, it\u2019s extremely expensive. Sending just one standard sized card using Special Delivery Guaranteed will set you back \u00a36.70.<\/p>\n<p>However, you can post it as late as <strong>Wednesday 23<sup>rd<\/sup> December<\/strong>, and it will arrive on Christmas Eve (remember, there\u2019s no post on Christmas Day, as it\u2019s a bank holiday).<\/p>\n<h4>International Post<\/h4>\n<p>The last Christmas post dates for international delivery will vary, according to where in the world you\u2019re sending your card. Unsurprisingly, the farther away your post is travelling, the longer it will take to arrive. The cut-off date also depends on which service you use \u2013 International Economy is cheaper and slower than International Standard.<\/p>\n<p>For example, using International Economy, a card sent to Eastern Europe should be posted no later than Monday 2<sup>nd<\/sup> November to arrive by Christmas. Using International Standard will buy you more time \u2013 you can post it as late as 11<sup>th<\/sup> December. A Christmas card sent to a country outside of Europe, however, must be sent even earlier. Visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.royalmail.com\/sending\/international\">Royal Mail website<\/a> to check services and prices by country.<\/p>\n<h4>Will the Pandemic Affect Christmas Post?<\/h4>\n<p>The dates we\u2019ve given for the last Christmas post are the dates officially recommended by Royal Mail. But the times we\u2019re currently living in are a little unsteady and uncertain, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many services are operating more slowly than usual, including the postal service. This is for a number of reasons, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Coronavirus-related staff absences (due to catching Covid-19, shielding, or precautionary self-isolation)<\/li>\n<li>The implementation of social distancing (reducing the number of staff in each vehicle and shared space)<\/li>\n<li>Rigorous sanitisation measures<\/li>\n<li>The general public sending more post than normal, due to not being able to see loved ones face-to-face<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is possible, therefore, that your Christmas post may take slightly longer to arrive than it usually would. If possible, aim to send your cards, letters and presents a few days earlier than the cut-off dates, just to be on the safe side.<\/p>\n<h4>When Should I Order My Christmas Cards?<\/h4>\n<p>It\u2019s so much easier and quicker to order Christmas cards online, rather than going to a physical shop to buy them. And what with the coronavirus pandemic, there\u2019s no doubt that it\u2019s safer, too! Online Christmas card shopping is just as fun, but without the risk.<\/p>\n<p>At <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/\">Christmas Connections<\/a>, you can choose from hundreds of different Christmas cards and have them delivered to your door, complete with envelopes. All of our cards are completely customisable, so you can edit the message inside \u2013 and many of our designs come with front personalisation, too. Our designs start from just 73p, and we\u2019ll donate 10p from the sale of every card to a charity of your choice.<\/p>\n<p>We aim to approve, print and ship all orders within 3 working days. But to be on the safe side, we\u2019d recommend placing your order at least 7-10 days before you have to start posting your cards. The closer it gets to Christmas, the busier it gets \u2013 so give yourself plenty of time!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The lead up to Christmas can feel quite overwhelming, especially if you\u2019ve got a large family or a huge circle of friends. With so much to do, it can be hard to know where to start. One of the first things that people do in the lead up to Christmas is to buy, write and &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,96],"tags":[188,185,187,186],"class_list":{"0":"post-1321","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-christmas-around-the-world","7":"category-christmas-cards","8":"tag-cut-off-for-posting-cards","9":"tag-ordering-personalised-christmas-cards","10":"tag-royal-mail-postal-dates","11":"tag-when-shoud-i-order-my-cards","12":"anons"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.11 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>When Are the Christmas Post Cut-Off Dates for 2021? - Christmas Connections Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Are the Christmas Post Cut-Off Dates for 2021? - Christmas Connections Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The lead up to Christmas can feel quite overwhelming, especially if you\u2019ve got a large family or a huge circle of friends. With so much to do, it can be hard to know where to start. One of the first things that people do in the lead up to Christmas is to buy, write and ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Christmas Connections Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-24T18:18:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-10-21T07:08:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/\",\"name\":\"When Are the Christmas Post Cut-Off Dates for 2021? - Christmas Connections Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-24T18:18:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-21T07:08:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f9c39db4b99441e7e7424856d3a43e95\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"When Are the Christmas Post Cut-Off Dates for 2021?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Christmas Connections Blog\",\"description\":\"Personalised Christmas Cards Suitable for Corporate, Company, Business and Personal Use.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f9c39db4b99441e7e7424856d3a43e95\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f45c174d613b900586fe7e01350dd365?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f45c174d613b900586fe7e01350dd365?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"When Are the Christmas Post Cut-Off Dates for 2021? - Christmas Connections Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"When Are the Christmas Post Cut-Off Dates for 2021? - Christmas Connections Blog","og_description":"The lead up to Christmas can feel quite overwhelming, especially if you\u2019ve got a large family or a huge circle of friends. With so much to do, it can be hard to know where to start. One of the first things that people do in the lead up to Christmas is to buy, write and ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/","og_site_name":"Christmas Connections Blog","article_published_time":"2020-10-24T18:18:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-10-21T07:08:04+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/","url":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/","name":"When Are the Christmas Post Cut-Off Dates for 2021? - Christmas Connections Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-10-24T18:18:48+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-21T07:08:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f9c39db4b99441e7e7424856d3a43e95"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/when-are-the-christmas-post-cut-off-dates-for-2020\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"When Are the Christmas Post Cut-Off Dates for 2021?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/","name":"Christmas Connections Blog","description":"Personalised Christmas Cards Suitable for Corporate, Company, Business and Personal Use.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f9c39db4b99441e7e7424856d3a43e95","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f45c174d613b900586fe7e01350dd365?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f45c174d613b900586fe7e01350dd365?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"url":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1321"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1321"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1944,"href":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1321\/revisions\/1944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christmas-connections.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}