Get Your Minnesota Gifts Delivered with These Shipping Tips

It really is the most wonderful time of the year, and a lot of that 'wonderful' depends on getting your holiday gifts shipped on-time (and unbroken) to your loved ones.

The first word from shipping experts is: Ship Early! If you want your package to arrive in time for Christmas, the longer you wait to send it on its way, the more its going to cost you.

You can see a list of major shipping deadlines from the major players here.

So its officially the holiday season, and shopping, shipping, and returning become top priorities on many to-do lists. And thanks to our friends at The UPS Store, here are some ideas to help you spend less time running errands and more time celebrating this season:

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Pack and ship gifts: Be a real-life Santa by sending gifts to your loved ones. Most shipping retailers will help you pack and ship, including fragile or unusually shaped items.
Protect your gifts: Inquire about insured shipping, and proof of delivery. Make sure your gifts arrive on time, and intact.
Return gifts that didn’t work out: If a gift didn’t quite work out as expected, the returns process is quick and convenient at most shipping locations. Buy it, ship it, return it. That's the American way.

Brett Battes, senior vice president of operations at The UPS Store says,

We pride ourselves on helping our customers lighten their load and focus on enjoying the moments every way they holiday.

Below are the recommended UPS shipping deadlines for a December 24th delivery:

December 19 via UPS 3 Day Select^® service
December 20 via UPS 2nd Day Air^® service
December 23 via UPS Next Day Air^® service
For more details on shipping to Canada, Mexico and other destinations, see the year-end holiday shipping schedule here.