The United States Postal Service has announced its cutoff dates for mailing gifts in time for Christmas.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more families are opting out of traveling for mailing their gifts to their loved ones. For USPS, this has meant an increased volume of holiday mail.

For anyone living in Lincoln County, the recommended send-by dates for expected delivery before Dec. 25 vary by shipping type. For mail sent by USPS Retail Ground Service, parcels must be sent no later than Dec. 15.

Parcels sent by First Class Mail must be sent no later than Dec. 18. Priority Mail must be sent by Dec. 19 and Priority Mail Express must be sent by Dec. 23.

The dates listed above are for the United States but don’t include Alaska and Hawaii. For those states, deadlines are earlier than for continental states. First Class Mail for Alaska must be sent by Dec. 18 and to Hawaii by Dec. 15.

Priority Mail dates for Alaska and Hawaii are Dec. 19 and Dec. 15, respectively. Priority Mail Express dates for both states are Dec. 21.

For more information about mailing holiday gifts, go to www.usps.com.