2024 Holiday Season Direct Mail Delivery Scheduling

2024 has been another year with scrutiny on the USPS and its ability to process huge volumes of mail. Savvy marketers are focusing on holiday season direct mail scheduling and developing a comprehensive direct mail strategy to execute critical promotions, donations, and other communications.

While the mail surge after Thanksgiving can slow delivery, this season brings great opportunities for those who prepare.

Postalytics customers are confidently navigating these changes. With our advanced scheduling tools and time-saving features, they’re maximizing their holiday campaign results and staying on track for success, no matter the season.

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2024/2025 USPS Holiday Season Direct Mail Days Off

In addition to a massive spike in the mail and package delivery volume, there are also several days that the USPS is completely closed for business. 

As we head into 2025, here’s a list of key dates to consider for your holiday season direct mail delivery planning:

Date	Holiday
Monday 11/12/24	Veterans Day
Thursday 11/28/24	Thanksgiving Day
Wednesday 12/25/24	Christmas Day Observed
Wednesday 1/1/25	New Year’s Day Observed
Monday 1/20/25	Martin Luther King Jr. birthday
Monday 2/17/25	President’s Day
Monday 5/26/25	Memorial Day
Thursday 6/19/25	Juneteenth National Independence Day
Friday 7/4/25	Independence Day
Monday 9/1/25	Labor Day
Monday 10/13/25	Columbus/Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Tuesday 11/11/25	Veterans Day
Thursday 11/27/25	Thanksgiving Day
Wednesday 12/25/25	Christmas Day

While the amount of time direct mail spent in the delivery process can increase, with a little planning, savvy marketers can work around most USPS seasonal slowdowns.

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While the USPS has improved its mail delivery efficiency, slowdowns and issues still arise due to staffing and equipment issues, especially with standard class or marketing mail.

Last year, most of our first-class customers had their mail delivered within the expected time frame, a few of our customers had standard-class mailers “stuck” at USPS distribution facilities for several weeks.

Some of the factors that led to such severe standard class delays in past years will most likely be less of a factor this year. While global shipping and mailing volumes will be much higher every season, pandemic and supply chain issues are not nearly as significant as in recent years. And, the USPS has been investing heavily in staffing and equipment as a part of the “Delivering for America” plan that is being rolled out.

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There’s no way that we know for sure how these might impact the mail delivery process, and we recommend adding a few more days into your planning to ensure your mailers are delivered on time. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to things that are outside of our control.

The most important thing to understand is the differences in the way that the USPS treats their mail classes. Standard mail can be impacted by the holidays significantly, while first-class mail tends to be less affected. Due to the slowdown in direct mail delivery during the holiday season, we see more customers choosing first-class than normal during this time of the year.

See “When To Use First Class vs. Standard Mail”

To be certain your mail is delivered before 12/25/24:

• Postalytics Recommends Sending First Class Campaigns No Later Than December 11th
• Postalytics Recommends Sending Standard Class Campaigns No Later Than November 30th

As a rule of thumb, plan roughly 3 weeks for standard class mail and 2 weeks for first-class mail campaigns for the bulk of the mail to be delivered. You’ll probably find that there will be an increase in variability of mail delivery dates due to local USPS issues in various locations around the country.

Mail Delivery Thanksgiving Week

Thanksgiving is a federal holiday, which means that USPS will be closed on Thursday, November 28th.

If you’re wondering whether mail delivery is resuming the day after Thanksgiving, then the answer is yes.

The United States Postal Service plans to run both ground and air services during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday. Keep in mind that the volume of mail usually skyrockets during these times. Higher volumes usually mean higher processing times. USPS employees will have a lot on their hands during Thanksgiving week.

If you’re sending a direct mail campaign targeting any of these shopping days, we’d recommend sending it at least 10 days earlier to stay ahead of potential delays and ensure the success of your holiday campaigns.

What Impacts Holiday Season Direct Mail Delivery?

Several factors are coming together to stress the USPS holiday season direct mail delivery system. All told, the USPS will deliver about 15 billion pieces of mail and about 800 million packages between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. With a little planning, savvy marketers can work around most USPS seasonal slowdowns, while also encouraging customers to engage with their brand through timely and effective direct mail.

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Greeting Cards

While we know fewer folks are sending personal notes and letters through the mail than in the past, holiday season greeting cards are still incredibly popular. In fact, about 1.5 billion holiday greeting cards are sold every year, representing roughly 60% of all cards sold. Most of these are dropped in the mail with the hope they’ll be delivered prior to Christmas.

Catalogers

With the massive spending that occurs during the biggest retail season of the year, companies that send catalogs are incredibly active. Most of the catalogers hope to have their books at home the week after Thanksgiving as their mailing for the last big holiday push, making it crucial to plan your next direct mail campaign effectively.

Parcels

With e-commerce sales continuing to skyrocket, package delivery becomes a massive priority for USPS during the holiday season. Some estimates forecast e-commerce sales to grow between 7% and 9%, year-over-year, during the 2024-2025 holiday season. Starting the week of December 10th, the USPS expects to deliver 200 million packages per week through Christmas. Immediately after Christmas, returns kick in.

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First Class Direct Mail Holiday Season Planning

The USPS prioritizes first-class direct mail, and the holiday season’s spike in volume accentuates the delivery differences between first- and standard-class mail. For this reason, we recommend using the Postalytics First Class option for direct mail during the holiday season.

While the USPS will do its best to deliver first-class mail within the standard timeline, slowdowns inevitably occur. The week of December 18th-23rd, 2024, will be incredibly busy for first-class mail due to those holiday greeting cards, with the expectation that 3 billion pieces of first-class mail will be delivered.

Postalytics recommends First Class Mailing no later than December 11th for delivery before Christmas.

Standard Class Mail Holiday Season Planning

The USPS handles Standard Class mail after First Class and Parcel deliveries. It is more likely to be delayed when regional or local surges happen and when there are equipment problems anywhere in the supply chain. As the USPS prepares for the massive spike in First Class and Parcel delivery, holiday season direct mail sent via standard class suffers, making it essential to plan your marketing campaign accordingly.

Postalytics recommends Standard Class Mailing no later than November 30th for delivery before Christmas.

Standard Class mail caught in the holiday season surge can be delivered in a close to normal time frame, but it can also be significantly delayed. In 2023, we did have a few customers with standard mail sent in mid-December that ended up delivered in mid-January. We recommend getting out ahead of other mailers—do not wait!

Creating Engaging Holiday Content

Now that you know when to send your direct mail, it’s important to make sure you send direct mail that makes an impact. 

Here’s a simple guide to creating engaging holiday content for your direct mail campaign. Follow these steps to make sure your holiday mail grabs attention and connects with your audience:

1. Make it look great: Use high-quality images and bold headlines that immediately catch the eye, and keep your design clean and organized so it’s easy to read. You can also use a range of professionally designed, easy-to-use templates that can be edited directly in Postalytics. 
2. Speak in a friendly tone: Reflect the joy of the holiday season, keeping your message warm and approachable. Rather than being too pushy with your sales message, focus more on connecting with the reader, making the message feel like a conversation that is authentic and welcoming.
3. Add a clear call-to-action (CTA): Guide readers on what to do next; for instance, phrases like “Visit Our Website,” “Shop Now,” or “Find a Store Near You” work well. Ensure your CTA stands out visually so readers can easily spot it.
4. Choose the right format: Use postcards, greeting cards, or self-mailers (folded mailers that don’t require an envelope) to give your direct mail a unique look. Select a format that makes your message easy to read and highlights your brand’s style effectively.
5. Reflect the holiday spirit: Use festive language and images that capture the essence of the season. Make your mail feel like a celebration so that readers experience holiday joy the moment they open it.

Holiday Season Direct Mail Questions?

If you’d like to speak with one of our experts about your holiday season direct mail delivery strategy, we’d love to hear from you!