Another year, and another Christmas where we have to get organised early to hit those last sending dates for Christmas cards in Australia and beyond!
The good news is that, overall, dates are not as early as in the pandemic-disruption hit years - but for some circumstances, it still pays to be prepared.
To help you get organised, check out our Christmas Shop filled with luxury letterpress greeting card sets, gift sets for stationery lovers and premium recyclable gift wrap.
Read on to discover the last posting dates for Christmas in Australia for 2022, whether your Christmas cards are heading off in the mail to elsewhere in Australia, over the ditch to New Zealand or further afield to the US, Europe or Asia.
This article was last updated in November 2022, based on the latest information from Australia Post. All references below are for standard and economy air postage for letters/cards - different dates apply for parcel post and express options. For the most up-to-date information, visit Australia Post.
Within Australia
The recommended last date for posting your Christmas cards to your interstate mates this year is Thursday 15 December.
If your cards are heading to friends and family in Western Australia however, flooding has damaged rail line access to the state so delays are expected. Auspost's parcel post deadline for WA is very early for that reason - and while they don't call out sending cards a little earlier, to ensure they make it for the big day, the earlier the better for WA!
If you're posting cards within the same state, you have a little longer to get your cards written and ready for the mail - with the last posting date being Monday 19 December.
New Zealand
The last posting date for New Zealand in 2022 is 2 December.
China
The last posting date for China in 2022 is 21 November.
Asia (Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand)
The last posting date for countries in Asia in 2022 is 28 November.
Pacific Islands
The last posting date for Pacific Islands in 2022 is 21 November.
United States of America (USA)
The last posting date for the US in 2022 is 28 November.
Canada
The last posting date for Canada in 2022 is 2 December.
UK & Ireland
The last posting date for the UK in 2022 is 2 December.
Mainland Europe
The last posting date for Ireland and major countries in Europe in 2022 is 28 November.
Where you're sending from matters
According to Australia Post's guidance, these dates are for customers who are sending their cards and letters from a metro area. If you are in regional or rural Australia, you should expect some local delays so add a buffer if you can.
Postage costs
Each year Australia Post offers a discounted rate for stamps to send Christmas cards both within Australia, and to international addresses.
This year, sending a card within Australia will just cost 0.65 cents and if you're sending overseas, you'll pay $2.60 this year for your Christmas stamps, saving between 30c and $1.30 depending on how far your card is going!
There's one other very important kind of Christmas correspondence to get in the mail - Letters to Santa!
North Pole
The good news is that the postage service between Australia and the North Pole is operating really well this year, so there's still plenty of time to get your letters to Santa Claus ready.
Just make sure your letter is in the postbox by 2 December 2022. (Parents, that link has some very important info for you to make sure your child's special letter makes it all the way to the North Pole!)
So there you have it - all the last posting dates for 2022. As always, Australia Post will keep their information up to date so you can find out more on their website.
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The Lovely Paper Christmas Shop is now open. Order your most special letterpress Christmas cards early to ensure they arrive on time!
If you're looking for inspiration on getting organised and inspiration for writing your Christmas cards, check out our Four Part blog series.