Is the USPS open on Christmas Day? No, Post Office counters are closed on Friday, December 25, 2026, and regular mail delivery stops with one narrow exception for Priority Mail Express. Service returns to normal on the next business day.
USPS has not yet published its notice for this year’s holiday, so the details below follow last year’s official pattern. Treat them as the best guide, not a promise. The Postal Holiday Checker shows the current status for any date.
Is the USPS open on Christmas Day 2026?
Christmas Day is a federal holiday, and it falls on a Friday in 2026. USPS follows the federal calendar, so retail Post Office service is off for the day. That means no counter service for stamps, packages, money orders or passport appointments.
The 2025 USPS holiday memo set the pattern. It said no regular retail services are provided on December 25, except at facilities that are normally open on holidays. A handful of locations in airports or large processing centers can fall into that group, so a quick call or a check of the Post Office locator before you drive is wise.
If you want a plain read on a normal day instead, see the full Post Office hours and holiday schedule.
What is open and what is closed on December 25?
Closed counters do not mean everything stops. The table below separates what you can and cannot do, based on the 2025 memo and USPS holiday guidance.
| Service | Christmas Day status |
|---|---|
| Retail counters at Post Offices | Closed, except facilities normally open on holidays |
| Regular letter and package delivery | None |
| Holiday Premium Priority Mail Express | Delivered |
| Other delivery | Only with vice president approval |
| Collection of mail from blue boxes | Suspended, though staff clear the boxes and dispatch on the first truck |
| PO Box access | Post Offices should provide it when feasible |
| Amazon Early Bird drops | Not made |
| Online tools on usps.com | Available |
The table covers service, not delivery in detail. For that question, read our guide to Christmas Day delivery.
Can I still mail something on Christmas Day?
Not at a counter, and not reliably in a collection box. Collections are suspended for the day. Staff still empty the boxes, but they dispatch the mail on the first truck, so it moves on the next working day.
Lobbies are a different story. Many Post Offices keep the lobby open around the clock, and kiosks and Smart Lockers there can work when the counter is dark.
USPS described over 2,600 kiosks in select lobbies for Thanksgiving 2025, covering stamps, weighing and tracking. That is a general description of kiosk service, not a Christmas promise, so check your own location.
What can you do online on Christmas Day?
The USPS website does not close for holidays. You can still do most of the planning work from home.
- Print a prepaid label and schedule a free package pickup for the next carrier day.
- Track a package using USPS Tracking.
- Request a hold on mail, which is free and runs from 3 to 30 days.
- Check the date you need for a deadline.
A hold request made online before 2:00 AM Central starts the same business day. Nothing starts on a day with no delivery, so plan around the next working day.
Christmas Eve and December 26
Christmas Eve is a working day, but a short one at many counters. The 2025 memo let retail windows close at noon with district pre approval.
Normal delivery and collections continue that day. Our Christmas Eve hours guide covers the early close in detail.
December 26 is different. In 2025, regular operations resumed that day with adjusted staffing.
In 2026, December 26 is a Saturday, so expect the usual Saturday counter hours. Whether mail comes that day is answered in our weekend delivery explainer. Staffing can be thin after a holiday, so lines may be longer than normal.
People who search is the USPS open on Christmas often really want to know about this stretch, because the week is full of short days and one full closure. The Christmas Eve noon close is only allowed with district approval, so it is not the same at every Post Office.
What about Christmas 2027?
Christmas falls on Saturday, December 25, 2027. The federal government observes the holiday on Friday, December 24, 2027. USPS has not published how it will treat those two days, so no one can say yet which counters will be open on the Friday.
Do not assume the Friday works as a normal day. Wait for the official notice, which typically appears in the fall of the same year.
What else is affected on a closed day?
Passport appointments are one example. The 2025 memo blocked them from noon on Christmas Eve, and a closed counter on Christmas Day means none are held that day. Book for another date rather than hoping for a walk in.
Parcels are another. On Christmas Eve, the memo said parcel pickup was offered through closing at locations without 24 hour PO Box or Parcel Locker access. If a slip says your package is waiting, collect it before the counter closes on December 24, or wait until December 26.
Phone help is limited by the calendar rather than the memo. The USPS contact page lists the Customer Care Center at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) for Monday to Friday 8 AM to 8:30 PM ET and Saturday 8 AM to 6 PM ET, and the Postal Store order line as closed on postal holidays, so on a Friday Christmas do not count on reaching a person. The official USPS holiday shipping dates page is the place to confirm deadlines instead.
Does a weekend change the answer?
In 2026 Christmas Day lands on a Friday, so a normal weekday simply becomes a closed one. In 2027 it lands on a Saturday, and the question shifts to whether USPS treats Friday as the observed day. See the weekend hours guide for how Saturday normally works at the counter.
Worked examples for Christmas week
Say you need to mail a gift to a family member in the contiguous U.S. for Christmas 2026. USPS lists these recommended send by dates for delivery before December 25.
| Service | Send by (contiguous U.S.) |
|---|---|
| Ground Advantage and First-Class | Thursday, December 17 |
| Priority Mail | Friday, December 18 |
| Priority Mail Express | Saturday, December 19 |
The same page gives Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and territories one day earlier for Ground Advantage, on December 16. International mail for most services is due December 9.
Now say you missed those dates and need something to arrive on Christmas Day itself. Priority Mail Express is the only service with a holiday delivery path, and Notice 123 lists a $12.50 add on for Sunday or holiday delivery. Whether a specific shipment qualifies depends on the origin, destination and ship date, so confirm it when you buy the label.
Step by step: planning around a closed Post Office
- Check your Post Office hours for December 24 and 26 in the locator.
- Mail time sensitive items by the send by dates above.
- Use a kiosk or Smart Locker for anything you must drop off when counters are dark, if your lobby has one.
- Print labels at home to skip the line.
If you ship with a private carrier instead, the rules differ, and our UPS Christmas Eve guide shows how that carrier handles the same week.
What to remember for December 25
Is the USPS open on Christmas? Not at the counter on December 25, 2026, and not for regular delivery.
Expect closed counters at most locations, suspended collections and a return to normal service on the next business day. The one delivery exception is Holiday Premium Priority Mail Express.
Since the 2026 notice is not out yet, check the official page before you rely on any single location. For the days that follow, see our New Year’s Eve hours guide.
