UK postal operator Royal Mail has released its top 5 destinations for Christmas cards and parcels from the UK, while reminding people that they need to get their cards written and shopping done soon if they are to send them ahead of the 25th of December.
The top 5 destinations are the US, Republic of Ireland, Australia, Canada and France.
Royal Mail also released a list of deadlines by which customers should get their packages and cards in the post by airmail for different destinations. If you are sending the cards or parcels to anywhere in Africa or the Middle East you have until the 4th December at the latest.
If you are sending post to Asia, Cyprus, Japan or Eastern Europe (excepting Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia) then they must be in Royal Mail’s system by the 7th December.
For cards and parcels heading to the Caribbean, Central and South America you should try to get them off by the 8th December. Meanwhile for Greece, Australia and New Zealand you have until Thursday 10th December.
Monday 14 December is the deadline for the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Poland. Royal Mail expects its highest international volumes to be around the 15th December as that is the latest for airmail going to the US, Canada, Finland and Sweden.
Nine days before Christmas on the 16th December is the deadline for Austria, Iceland, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. Meanwhile, your last posting day for France is the 17th December.
Friday the 18th December is the final posting date for Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Switzerland. After that date the deadline for surface mail around the UK comes due to pressure on the system that the postal operator has met with over 11,000 extra staff around the UK.