As Thanksgiving festivities fade into cherished memories, the holiday season shifts its focus to the magical time of Christmas. Families worldwide are now gearing up to adorn their homes with festive decorations, including the iconic Christmas tree, and are beginning to ponder the perfect gifts for their loved ones.

Amidst the holiday hustle, ensuring that your thoughtfully chosen presents arrive in time for the big day is a priority. To help with this, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced an essential deadline for holiday shipping.

For those planning to send Christmas cards and gifts, the USPS advises that shipments should be made by December 17. Meeting this deadline will help guarantee that your packages are delivered by December 25.

This shipping deadline is particularly important for items being sent from all U.S. states, with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii, when using USPS Ground Advantage Service or First-Class Mail Service.

This applies to packages coming from all US states except for Alaska and Hawaii that are sent with USPS Ground Advantage Service or First-Class Mail Service.

If you’re using USPS’ Priority Mail Service you can ship by December 18 to make it by December 25, while those using Priority Mail Express Service have a deadline of December 20.

‘The earlier you send, the better: Don’t delay, mail and ship today!’ USPS said.

For those sending stuff from Alaska and Hawaii, the deadline shifts to December 16 for packages sent with USPS Ground Advantage Service.

If you want to ensure your presents make it in time to open on Christmas morning, the USPS has shared the vital deadline you must place your orders by (stock image)

International packages vary by area; those sent from Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and the Middle East should be shipped by December 9 to make it time for Christmas.

Packages sent from Central and South America, on the other hand, must be sent by December 2.

It comes after experts shared the well-intentioned Christmas presents you should never give to loved ones: anything to do with weight loss.

That means no healthy teas or gym memberships, as experts found in a recent study that that self-improvement gifts often make recipients feel judged rather than appreciated.

In five experiments involving a total of 1,340 participants, researchers from Florida International University compared reactions to self-improvement products versus neutral versions of the products. 

In one test, participants were gifted a ‘Get Lean’ weight-loss tea instead of Moroccan tea, while in another, the gift was a ‘Communications Skills’ calendar rather than a trivia-based ‘Did You Know?’ calendar.

Across every scenario, people who received the self-improvement gift rated it lower, spoke less positively about it, or were more likely to endorse negative online reviews.

When they purchased those same products for themselves, however, the effect vanished.

According to the agency, all Christmas cards and gifts must be shipped by December 17 for an expected delivery before December 25 (stock image)

‘Gifts are supposed to signal love and generosity,’ study author Dr Linnéa Chapman said.

‘But a self-improvement gift can threaten someone’s view of themselves as lovable and acceptable as they are. It challenges a very basic social need—to be valued without conditions.’

It also comes after experts warned travelers that bringing Christmas gifts to the airport could incur hundreds in charges for breaking airline check-in rules.

‘Airlines are cracking down on baggage allowances, and checked-luggage fees can quickly add up, especially when budgets are already stretched by the rising cost of living,’ said an expert at SCS Chauffeurs.

‘If you’re traveling abroad with Christmas presents this year, packing smart is essential.

‘Without careful planning, valuable gifts like bottles of alcohol, perfumes over 100ml, or even beautifully wrapped gift sets of travel-sized items could be confiscated by airport security, or face an airport check-in fee per person.

‘Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can pack smart this holiday season, like avoiding heavy items and leaving out anything that takes up unnecessary space.’

The experts claim the worst presents to carry in hand luggage are beauty gift sets, toy weapons, full-size bottles of alcohol, toys with batteries and kitchen knife sets.

The experts advise against wrapping presents beforehand.

Security may need to inspect items, and unwrapping gifts at the airport is inconvenient and a waste of wrapping paper.