Reference·cards and letters, 2026 holiday season
The last day to mail a Christmas card from Canada so it can arrive by Christmas, by destination: Friday, December 18 anywhere in Canada, Friday, December 11 to the United States, and earlier for most other countries.
Last checked against Canada Post: November 1, 2026
| Sending a card to | Send by |
|---|---|
| Local | Tuesday, December 22 |
| Regional | Monday, December 21 |
| National | Friday, December 18 |
| Sending a card to | Send by |
|---|---|
| United States | Friday, December 11 |
| France | Friday, December 11 |
| Germany | Friday, December 11 |
| Japan | Friday, December 11 |
| Netherlands | Friday, December 11 |
| Switzerland | Friday, December 11 |
| United Kingdom | Friday, December 11 |
| Asia | Wednesday, December 9 |
| Australia | Wednesday, December 9 |
| China | Wednesday, December 9 |
| Europe | Wednesday, December 9 |
| India | Wednesday, December 9 |
| Middle East | Wednesday, December 9 |
| New Zealand | Wednesday, December 9 |
| Africa | Thursday, December 3 |
| Central and South America, and the Caribbean | Thursday, December 3 |
Letters to Santa: send by Wednesday, December 9 to get a reply from the North Pole.
These are Canada Post's dates for cards and letters (Lettermail) between major urban centres. Delivery depends on where the card starts and where it is going, and exceptions apply — when in doubt, mail earlier. Source: Canada Post, Plan your holiday sending. For a specific route, try Canada Post's delivery tool. Parcels have their own dates on the same Canada Post page.
It happens every year, usually with the card for the relative who lives furthest away. Three ways to still be on time — the first is free.
It arrives the moment you send it, as a link by email or text, in any country — no postal deadline to miss. Add up to three photos and a message; you don't need an account and neither do they. When they open it the photos tumble out of the card, and they can download them at the size you uploaded them (up to 8MB each) to keep or print. Christmas photo cards · holiday photo cards.
Make the card now and set it to arrive at eight on the 25th, or whenever suits them. Scheduling is a Card Pack feature — a one-time purchase, no subscription. For family in another time zone, pick the hour that matches their morning. How to schedule an eCard.
Print & Mail turns your card into a folded 5×7 printed card, mailing envelope included, mailed to an address in any of 59 countries — typically about 2–7 days in the US and 3–9 days in Canada. For a US or Canadian address to arrive by Christmas, order by about December 11; allow extra time for other countries. Printed greeting cards.
No, and Canada Post says so: the dates are for mail between major urban centres, they depend on where the card starts and where it is going, and exceptions apply. Treat them as the last sensible day, not a safe one. Canada Post's delivery tool estimates times for a specific route.
It depends on where the card starts and where it is going. If you are not sure which applies, use the earlier date — the national one covers anywhere in Canada. A card that arrives a few days before Christmas has never upset anyone.
No — this page covers cards only. Canada Post publishes separate dates for packages on its holiday sending page.
Send a photo eCard instead. It arrives as a link the moment you send it, by email or by text, in any country, and they can download the photos to keep or print. A free card needs no account. Christmas photo cards.
Yes, if you schedule it. Scheduling is a Card Pack feature — a one-time purchase, no subscription — and a card can be set up to ninety days ahead, at the hour you pick. How scheduling works.
No. We are an independent photo card site. The dates above are copied from Canada Post's own guidelines, last checked November 1, 2026, and linked so you can check them yourself.
Free, no account needed, and it reaches any country the moment you send it.
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