With in-person gatherings limited, more and more of us will be sending cards and Christmas gifts in the post this year. Indeed, Deutsche Post will be stepping up evening deliveries in the run up to the holidays to keep up with the extra demand. But how can you be sure that your package reaches its recipient in plenty of time?

Christmas post in Germany in 2020: It’s going to be hectic!

The last few weeks of December - always a busy time for the postal service - are going to be even more hectic this year thanks to coronavirus. Deutsche Post has already reported an increase of 15 percent in 2020, and is expecting to process around 11 million shipments each day from the end of November through to Christmas. 

It’s clear, then, that delivery companies have got their hands very full this year. That means that the old maxim has never been so true: the sooner you send your letters and parcels, the higher the probability that they will arrive in time for Christmas Eve. 

But if you’re a bit of a last-minute-dash kind of person, and like to cut things fine, here are the final deadlines you need to stick to if you want your packages to arrive by December 24:  

Deutsche Post & DHL

Taking into account the pre-Christmas rush, adverse weather conditions and other unforeseen delays brought about by the coronavirus crisis, DHL has brought forward its final deadlines this year: 12 pm on December 19 is the cut-off for packages destined for German addresses. 

If they’re heading further afield, you need to allow more time. Packages for neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands or Poland can be posted up to December 14 (or December 18, if you use DHL’s premium service), or by December 10 for other European countries (December 14 with the premium service). 

Outside of Europe, the deadline for the super-snail mail has already passed, but if you get them in the post by this Monday, December 7, and opt for the premium service, they should get to their destination on time! 

Christmas cards, letters and postcards headed to German addresses will be delivered by December 24 if they are posted by December 22. Again, if they’re destined for Europe, the deadline is a little earlier (December 16), and for deliveries even further afield the cut-off is December 7.

DPD

If you hand your Germany-bound package to DPD by 12 pm on December 22, you can be sure that it will arrive by Christmas Eve. If it’s heading within Europe, you’ve got until 12 pm on December 18. If it’s going elsewhere, the date depends on the destination. You can check using DPD’s delivery calculator. 

Hermes

If you’re sending your package with Hermes, make sure to drop it off by December 21, for addresses inside Germany, and December 15, for anywhere else. 

GLS

Germany-bound packages can be handed to GLS anytime up to December 22 to ensure Christmas delivery. For neighbouring countries, the deadline is December 21, and for other European destinations, December 18. 

What about letters to Santa Claus?

It would take more than a global pandemic to stop Santa from replying to children’s letters. If you want to write to Santa at his postal addresses in Himmelpfort or Himmelsthür, your wishes need to reach him by Sunday, December 13, to give him enough time to reply by Christmas Eve. After all, he’s a busy man: he’s got a jam-packed delivery schedule on December 24 as well!