Every year the holidays are a time when everyone is enjoying the festivities of the season and spending time with friends as well as family. Yet another tradition also takes places about 10 days before Christmas, deadlines.

This does not mean the traditional deadline like you would think of at work, instead it is the deadline to have your holiday shopping complete for friends and family that you will be sending gifts to this year.

With December 16th being the last official day that you must have your Christmas packages at the Post Office so that any gifts will reach their destination in time for Christmas. This is not only affecting the Post Office, it also affecting the large overnight carriers. A good example of this occurred on the 14th of December with Fed Ex saying that this was their busiest day of the year.

What all of this shows is that despite the harsh economic conditions the spirit of the holidays still continues to endure. Recent evidence of this can be seen by looking at the large volume of packages that are being shipped through the Post Office and the large overnight carriers. In a world where you are hearing an endless stream of bad news, it is refreshing to see that people still continue to embrace the traditions of the holiday no matter what.

Of course if you’re not shipping off those gifts, you can shop right up to the 24th — if you can brave the crowds.

Holiday Shopping Deadlines Fast Approaching