Yes, logistics “works” during the holidays, although they don’t work the same way.
Inside a warehouse, teams can & will receive, pick, pack, and stage orders. The part that usually changes is transportation: carrier pickups, linehaul moves, last-mile delivery, port gates, and government offices tied to clearance and payments.
What people really mean when they ask this
Most of the pain comes from two gaps:
Gap 1: Your warehouse can be ready, but the carrier isn’t moving freight that day.
Gap 2: Even when the carrier is “open,” it may be running modified service, which means later pickup windows, fewer sort runs, and slower transit.
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The two dates that behave like hard stops
For the big U.S. parcel networks, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are the clearest “no” days for normal activity.
USPS says Post Offices are closed on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) and New Year’s Day (Jan. 1), and regular mail is not delivered on those holidays (USPS).
UPS’ year-end schedule lists no pickup or delivery service on Christmas Day, and notes UPS Express Critical can still be available.
FedEx’s published holiday table shows FedEx services closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, while FedEx Custom Critical is open.
A simple year-end cheat sheet for shippers
This is a practical way to think about year-end (this applies every year, even though calendars shift):
| Date | USPS | UPS | FedEx |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) | Post Offices open, regular delivery, Priority Mail Express delivery (limited areas) | Generally operating, but check your facility’s cutoff times; transit can be tight | Modified service for many products, Custom Critical open |
| Christmas Day (Dec. 25) | Closed, no regular delivery; Priority Mail Express delivery in limited areas for a fee | No pickup/delivery; Express Critical may be available | Closed; Custom Critical open |
| New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31) | Post Offices open, regular delivery; Priority Mail Express delivery (limited areas) | Generally operating (watch early cutoffs) | Modified service; Custom Critical open |
| New Year’s Day (Jan. 1) | Closed, no regular delivery; Priority Mail Express delivery in limited areas for a fee | No pickup/delivery; Express Critical may be available | Closed; Custom Critical open |
USPS “closed” doesn’t mean nothing moves
USPS draws a line between regular mail and Priority Mail Express.
On Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, regular mail is not delivered, but Priority Mail Express can still be delivered in limited locations, and USPS notes an extra fee for those deliveries.
If you’re planning holiday delivery, USPS also publishes recommended send-by dates. For the contiguous U.S. (Lower 48), the 2025 recommended dates were:
- USPS Ground Advantage: Dec. 17
- Priority Mail: Dec. 18
- Priority Mail Express: Dec. 20
Those dates shift year to year, but the takeaway doesn’t: if you wait until the week of Christmas, you’re paying for faster services and still living with weather and volume risk.
For UPS, the “last days to ship” table matters more than the holiday itself
UPS publishes recommended “last days to ship” for holiday delivery targets. For 2025, UPS recommended ship dates for Dec. 24 delivery included:
- UPS 3 Day Select: Dec. 19
- UPS 2nd Day Air: Dec. 22
- UPS Next Day Air: Dec. 23
UPS also flags that, during peak, a limited number of air and ground packages can take an extra day in transit, and points shippers to ups.com/ctc for the latest transit times at the moment you ship.
So the bottom line, you can do everything “right” and still get surprised if your lane is congested.
With FedEx, modified service is the quiet trap
FedEx’s holiday schedule spells out “Modified service” on certain days around holidays, and full closures on the holiday itself, with Custom Critical operating even when the rest is closed.
If your business lives on tight cutoffs (same-day fulfillment, promised 2-day delivery), “modified” is the word to take seriously. It’s where pickups slide, sort runs compress, and delivery estimates get less friendly.
A 2025 twist meant federal closures can ripple into logistics
This year had a specific wrinkle: a White House order directed executive departments and agencies to close on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, and Friday, December 26, 2025, excusing employees from duty (with exceptions for public need).
Customs also reacted in a very real way. CBP issued a CSMS notice stating Dec. 24 and Dec. 26, 2025 are considered CBP holidays for payments, and that certain payments wouldn’t be due until Dec. 29, 2025.
If you import, that sort of schedule shift can change what gets cleared, paid, released, and delivered, even when trucks and warehouses are “open.”
Ports and terminals is the gate calendar can break your week
Even if carriers are moving, terminals can close gates or run early closures around holidays.
OOCL published U.S./Canada marine terminal gate schedules showing many gates closed on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25, 2025, and also detailing New Year’s Eve closures or early close times at several terminals, with New Year’s Day closures on Jan. 1, 2026.
Port Houston’s posted holiday schedule shows Christmas Day closed, New Year’s Day closed, and Christmas Eve open (with footnotes for special hours).
If your freight touches ports, drayage, or transload, the “holiday shipping plan” is really a “gate + appointment + driver plan.”
What about other holidays during the year?
The pattern repeats on the big U.S. holidays:
- Full closure days are common (New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day).
- “Modified service” days cluster around the holiday (day before, day after, or long-weekend edges).
FedEx’s holiday table shows closures on major holidays like Labor Day, with Custom Critical still open.
The federal holiday calendar also tells you when government offices are likely closed, which can matter for payments, inspections, and certain B2G processes.
A checklist that saves you from 80% of holiday chaos
- Pull carrier holiday schedules and ship-by deadlines before you publish any “arrives by” promises.
- Set earlier order cutoffs for the last 10 days before Christmas, then tighten them again the week between Christmas and New Year.
- Add a “carrier pickup blackout” note into your internal SOP for Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
- If you import, watch CBP and port/terminal gate notices as closely as you watch UPS/FedEx.
- Build one “late-order” option for customers (upgrade shipping, local delivery, digital gift, or ship after the holiday), so your support team isn’t inventing policies at 9pm.
Where Speed Commerce fits in
A 3PL can keep fulfillment moving through the holidays by staffing the warehouse, staging shipments around carrier blackout days, and coordinating pickups and appointments so you don’t lose a full week to two closed days.
Sources:
USPS Holiday Service Schedule and USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines pages.
UPS 2025 year-end holiday schedule and recommended last days to ship PDF.
FedEx Holiday Schedule & Last Days to Ship page (holiday service table).
OPM Federal Holidays (2025–2026).
White House order closing federal executive departments on Dec. 24 and Dec. 26, 2025; CBP CSMS bulletin on CBP holidays for payments.
OOCL U.S./Canada marine terminal gate advisories; Port Houston holiday schedules.
