Is It Too Late to Send Christmas Cards? Dates That Work

It is not too late if you order on ShipNote by December 14, 2026, because those cards arrive by December 24. From December 15 to 17 they may land before Christmas, but we do not promise it. After December 17, send a New Year's card instead. It is still welcome, and it is the right call.

TL;DR

• Through December 14, 2026: order on ShipNote and the cards arrive by December 24.
• December 15 to 17: possible before Christmas, not promised. Safe if you word it as a holiday greeting.
• After December 17: your cards will land after Christmas. Make it a New Year's card and say so.
• Late is fine. The Emily Post Institute puts the card season at Thanksgiving until a couple of weeks into the New Year.
• $1.99 a card on 10 or more, printing, stamp and mailing included. No account, no minimum.

What are the dates that actually work?

Here is the answer in one table. It is built on two things we can state plainly: ShipNote mails the next business day after you order, and cards arrive in 4-7 business days. USPS does not deliver on Christmas Day or New Year's Day, and those two days are not counted as business days below.

The one hard date in the table is December 14, 2026. That is the last day to order on ShipNote for arrival by December 24: it mails Tuesday, December 15, and 4-7 business days from there runs to Thursday, December 24. Order one day later and the mailing and the delivery both slide, which is why the next row is "possible, not promised."

USPS publishes its own date. As of October 2026, its holiday shipping dates page lists Thursday, December 17 as the recommended send-by date for First-Class Mail for delivery before December 25 in the contiguous U.S. USPS adds that actual delivery "may vary and is based on origin, destination, Post Office acceptance time, and other conditions." So treat December 17 as the outer edge, not a promise. For the full calendar, including which days the mail does not run, see our USPS holiday mail calendar.

Is it really OK to send Christmas cards late?

Yes. The Emily Post Institute says cards are "usually sent anytime from Thanksgiving until a couple weeks into the New Year." That sentence, from its holiday greeting card guidance (checked October 2026), is the whole etiquette answer. There is no December 20 cutoff after which a card becomes rude.

The same page notes that a New Year's greeting "avoids all of the holiday season's religious associations which can be a nice option for some," and that sending a card early in the new year "can also de-emphasize the religious aspect of the season." So a late card is not only forgivable. For a mixed list, it can be the better card.

A card that arrives on December 28 lands in the week between Christmas and New Year's, while the tree is still up. It is not behind the season. It is inside it.

What readers notice is the card, not the postmark. If you want the longer case for sending one on purpose, we wrote it up in New Year's cards: why to send them and what to write.

Which row are you in right now?

Find today's date, then act on the matching line. The advice changes at three dates.

If you are on or before December 14

Order and you are done. Cards arrive by December 24, which is the date you were really asking about. There is no reason to change the greeting, and you can use a photo, a typed headline and your own note. If you want the cards to mail on a specific day rather than tomorrow, choose a date at checkout (more on that below).

If it is December 15 to 17

Some of these cards will make it before Christmas and some will land in the days right after. Do not tell anyone they will arrive by Christmas Eve. Pick a greeting that survives either date: HAPPY HOLIDAYS or SEASON'S GREETINGS both read fine on December 23 or December 28. Or go to HAPPY NEW YEAR and stop worrying about the postmark.

If an arrival date matters to you, for example a relative you want to reach by Christmas Eve, a card is the wrong tool this late. Call them.

If it is December 18 or later

Your cards will arrive after Christmas. Say so and move on. Change the headline to HAPPY NEW YEAR, and add one honest line on the back. The "what to write" section below has four you can steal. Cards mailed in this window arrive in the New Year's window, which is a perfectly good place to be.

What if I miss the whole holiday season?

You still have until about the middle of January. The Emily Post Institute's window runs to a couple of weeks into the New Year. After that, a card reads as a belated greeting, so own it in one line: "Better late than never, Happy New Year." A card that arrives on January 9 with that line still gets read.

Past mid-January, consider switching the whole idea. A "thinking of you in the new year" card or a winter photo card has no deadline at all.

What do I write on a late card?

One line that says it is late, one that says you were thinking of them, then your names. Keep it short. A postcard back holds a few sentences, and the best late cards use half of that. These work as written and take the recipient's name from the list:

Dear [RECIPIENT], our Christmas wishes ran a little late, so here are our New Year wishes instead. We hope the holidays were warm and the year ahead is a good one. Love, the Harris family

Dear [RECIPIENT], we meant to get this to you before Christmas and the month got away from us. We thought of you anyway. Happy New Year!

Dear [RECIPIENT], new year, new card. Last year was a big one: a new house and a very muddy new dog. We hope yours brought good news, and we hope to see you soon.

Dear [RECIPIENT], better late than never. Wishing you a calm, bright start to the year. We miss you and want to catch up soon.

You do not need to apologize. You do not need to explain the month you had. One acknowledgment, then the warmth. Everything past that makes the reader feel like they should reassure you.

On ShipNote you write the message once, and the [RECIPIENT] token fills in each person's name on their own card. That is how one note becomes 40 personal cards.

Can I do the whole thing tonight?

Yes. The job is one sitting, because you write one message and paste one list. This is the same flow we use for every occasion. It is built for exactly this situation: you have a list, you have no cards, and the date is closing.

The front step looks like this. The headline field here still reads THANK YOU, and you type your own greeting into it:

Before you pay, every card is on screen for review:

How much does it cost to send a late batch?

$1.99 a card on 10 or more, with the printing, the stamp and the mailing included. One card is $2.49. There is no account to make and no minimum order, so a batch of 12 or a batch of 120 follows the same rule.

Compare that with the job you are actually facing at 9 p.m. in mid-December: a box of cards from a store, stamps you have to find, a list of envelopes to address and a trip to the post office. For one household, that is an evening. For 40 households, it is the reason the cards did not go out. The point of ordering is that the printing, the stamp and the mail run get done for you.

What if I do not have everyone's address?

Paste what you have, fix the flagged ones, and send to the people you can reach. A list does not need to be complete to be useful. Every address is checked against USPS data before payment, and an address we cannot confirm is shown by name, so you can see exactly who needs fixing before you pay.

For the gaps, ask in a group text or reply to last year's email. We cover the options in what to do when you don't have all the addresses. If you do not have a list at all, our free Christmas card list template gives you the columns and the structure, and you can build the rest as you go.

Can I order tonight and pick the day they mail?

Yes, and it is the safest way to handle a list you finish early. By default we mail the next business day after you order. At checkout, under Delivery, choose "Choose a later mail date," then "On a date I choose," and pick any weekday up to 90 days out. Nothing mails before that day.

That is useful in two directions. If you are early, you can finish your list now and set the mail date to the week you want the cards to land. If you are cutting it close, you leave the default alone and they mail the next business day.

A mail date is not a delivery date. Cards arrive in 4-7 business days after they mail, so pick a mail date at least a week and a half ahead of the day you want them to land.

A quick checklist before you send

• Today's date. Match it to the table above, then choose the greeting that will still be true when the card arrives.
• The headline. If it will land after Christmas, use HAPPY NEW YEAR. A photo design takes any text up to 24 characters you type, so a line like "SEE YOU IN THE NEW YEAR" also fits.
• The message. One line about the timing, one warm line, your names.
• Every address on the list. Check the ones flagged by name before you pay.
• The return address. It prints on the back, so make sure it is the one you want back.

Frequently asked questions

Is it too late to send Christmas cards?

Not until the dates in the table pass. Order on ShipNote by December 14, 2026 for arrival by December 24. Between December 15 and 17 they might land before Christmas, but it is not promised. After December 17, send a New Year's card instead, which is still a welcome card.

What is the last day to mail Christmas cards in 2026?

As of October 2026, USPS's recommended send-by date for First-Class Mail to arrive before December 25 is Thursday, December 17. USPS says the date is a recommendation, not a guarantee, because actual delivery depends on origin, destination and acceptance time.

Can I send Christmas cards after Christmas?

Yes. The Emily Post Institute says holiday cards are usually sent anytime from Thanksgiving until a couple of weeks into the New Year. After December 25, switch the greeting to Happy New Year and the card reads as on time.

What do I do if my cards will not arrive before Christmas?

Change the headline to HAPPY NEW YEAR and write one line that says so, such as: Our Christmas wishes ran late, so here are our New Year wishes instead. On ShipNote the headline is one tap. Nobody on your list will mind.

How long do cards take to arrive on ShipNote?

We mail the next business day after you order, and cards arrive in 4-7 business days. USPS does not deliver on Christmas Day or New Year's Day, so count those out when you are close to a holiday.

Can I order now and choose the mail date?

Yes. At checkout, under Delivery, choose Choose a later mail date, then On a date I choose. You can pick any weekday up to 90 days out, so you can finish your list tonight and have the cards mail on the day you want.

Related reading

• New Year's cards: why to send them and what to write: the full guide for a card that goes out after Christmas.
• How to send Christmas cards: the whole job, from the list to the mailbox.
• What to do when you don't have all the addresses: collecting the ones you are missing.