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USPS Announces 2023 Holiday Shipping and Mailing Deadlines

The United States Postal Service has announced this year’s holiday shipping and mailing deadlines. That is, the dates you need to get your stuff in the mail to be sure…

USPS 2023 holiday shipping mailing deadlines
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The United States Postal Service has announced this year's holiday shipping and mailing deadlines. That is, the dates you need to get your stuff in the mail to be sure it gets where it needs to go on time!

There will be no Holiday Surcharges this year. *applause*

The Postal Service has announced it will not have a peak, or demand, surcharge this holiday season, offering increased predictability in pricing for customers. It's like a little pre-holiday Christmas miracle!

During the holidays, post offices worldwide face a monumental struggle to handle the surge in mail and packages. In the United States, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) shoulders the weight of this demand. The influx of greeting cards, gifts, and online shopping deliveries can overwhelm their systems, causing delays and frustrations for both customers and postal workers. Weather challenges, staff shortages, and the ongoing impact of the pandemic only exacerbate the situation. Yet, postal workers display unwavering dedication, working tirelessly to ensure that holiday wishes and presents reach their destinations. It's a season that highlights the essential role of the post office in connecting loved ones during festive times.

Here are the USPS announced 2023 holiday deadlines (bookmark this page for future reference!):

Within the Lower 48 (excludes Alaska and Hawaii)
USPS Ground Advantage — Dec. 16
First-Class Mail (including greeting cards) — Dec. 16
Priority Mail — Dec. 18
Priority Mail Express — Dec. 20

Alaska
USPS Ground Advantage — Dec. 16
First-Class Mail — Dec. 16
Priority Mail — Dec. 18
Priority Mail Express — Dec. 20

Hawaii
USPS Ground Advantage — Dec. 16
First-Class Mail — Dec. 16
Priority Mail — Dec. 16
Priority Mail Express — Dec. 20

Air/Army Post Office (APO), Fleet Post Office (FPO), Diplomatic Post Office (DPO)
USPS Ground Advantage — Nov. 6
First-Class Mail — Dec. 9
Priority Mail — Dec. 9
Priority Mail Express Military Service — Dec. 15*

I don't know about you, but when I get done sending out my last holiday package on time it's time to celebrate!!! Leading us to....

Congratulations Boston? I use a question mark here because I'm not sure this is something to be super proud of. But needless to say, Boston has just been named one of the top 3 drunkest cities in America. It landed at #3 on the list according to InsiderMonkey.com. Now before we give you the top 13 drunkest cities in America, let's first look at how these findings were made.

According to Insider Monkey, they compiled their data based on "County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, looking for Cities With the Highest Rates of Excessive Drinking." They kept it to only cities with populations of 200,000 or more and the most binge drinking reported in the past 30 days. They also did studies on which cities drink the most amount of beer specifically but for the purposes of this post, we're keeping to alcohol in general.

Boston is known for its beer. Boston is also known for its bars. Think about it...one of the most popular bars in television history was stationed here in Boston. Of course we're talking about Cheers. So the fact that Boston is in the top 5 of this list shouldn't be a shocker for many. So let's take a look at the drunkest cities in America. And just an FYI, when two cities had the same excessive drinking rate, we ranked them by the percentage of driving deaths with alcohol involved. That is not a statistic to be proud of but it is definitely a way to measure the drunkest cities. And when you're done seeing which cities topped the list, let us know if you agree or if you feel there are certain cities missing. The list changes year to year and this is the latest information for the year 2023.

#13 Detroit, MI

Excessive Drinking Rate: 20.7%. Part of the reason for Detroit's rating is because a law was just passed recently that allows the sale if alcohol in college stadiums and arenas in Michigan. You can imagine how much this would raise the drunken rate.

#12 Jacksonville, FL

Excessive Drinking Rate: 21%.  Jacksonville is known for its nightlife. They have a ton of beach front bars which makes getting drunk in Jacksonville that much easier to take.

#11 Tampa, FL

Excessive Drinking Rate: 21.2%.  Okay let's be honest. The reason Tampa may have jumped up on this list is the success of its football team. Tampa is also considered one of the most expensive cities to drink. It costs an average person in Tampa $82 for a typical night out of drinking.

#10 Austin, TX

Excessive Drinking Rate: 21.4%.  Austin is considered the Live Music Capital of the World where there’s always something going on and festivals every weekend. Much of these festivals include alcohol, so this should be no surprise. 

#9 Portland, OR

Excessive Drinking Rate: 21.4%.  Put it this way...drinking in Portland was such an issue, that the government launched their “Rethink the Drink” campaign last year trying to get people to rethink their alcohol consumption. 

#8 Sacramento, CA

Excessive Drinking Rate: 21.6%.  Talk about a horrible statistic. Alcohol disease killed more Californians than car accidents or breast cancer last year. 

#7 New Orleans, LA

Excessive Drinking Rate: 21.9%. This one shouldn't surprise anyone. The nightlife, restaurant and bar scene in NO is one of the best in country. Can you say Mardi Gras?

#6 Pittsburgh, PA

Excessive Drinking Rate: 22.5%. Unfortunately  25% driving deaths in the city involve alcohol.  That is proof enough to tell you why they're in the top 10. 

#5 Chicago, IL

Excessive Drinking Rate: 22.7%.  Drinking got so bad in Chicago that several community groups banned together to form the  ‘I Got This’ program, meant to curb underage drinking. So it's no surprise Chicago is in the top 5. 

#4 Buffalo, NY

Excessive Drinking Rate: 22.8%.  Buffalo has long been known as a drinking town. They are constantly filled with festivals that revolve around craft beer.

#3 BOSTON, MA

Excessive Drinking Rate: 23.1%. If you live here in Boston you know we are known for our bars and our nightlife...even though the bars close at 1:30am typically. Not to mention our sports teams always give us reasons to drink.

#2 Minneapolis, MN

Excessive Drinking Rate: 23.5%. Here is a statistic that no city should be proud of: 1,100 Minnesotans died in 2021 as a result of binge drinking. And believe it or not, Minneapolis is considered one of drunkest cities in the entire WORLD. 

#1 Milwaukee, WI

Excessive Drinking Rate: 24.6%. Milwaukee is loaded with breweries and beer gardens. It also has one of the lowest alcohol tax rates in the country. This alone contributes to excessive rates of drinking.