0 Make sure your holiday gifts arrive on time this year

Holiday shipping deadlines are fast approaching if you want your gifts to reach their destinations on time. If you're sending gifts and want them to arrive by Christmas, note the various dates below for shipping within the United States.

U.S. Postal Service:
(Check usps.com for shipping deadlines to other countries and military addresses.)

• Parcel Post, Dec. 14
  
• First-Class Mail, Dec. 20
  
• Priority Mail, Dec. 21
  
• Most Express Mail, Dec. 22

FedEx:

• FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery, Dec. 17 (Can vary depending on Zip Code)
  
• FedEx 2 Day, Dec. 20
  
• FedEx Overnight, Dec. 22

UPS:

• UPS Ground, Dec. 21
  
• UPS 2nd Day Air, Dec. 21
  
• UPS Next Day Air, Dec. 22

For a list of holiday shipping deadlines for online merchants visit freeshippingday.com, which also has details on this year's Free Shipping Day, Dec. 17, the last day to get free shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve from more than 1,400 merchants, including Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Godiva, REI, Lego, Levis, Zales, and many many more.

If you're planning to do some of your holiday shopping online from some of the big-name retailers out there, you might want to check their specific deadlines for ordering if you want your packages to arrive on time.

Sources:
USPS
FedEx
UPS
FreeShippingDay.com