Holiday shipping in Canada: when to order gifts so they arrive
By the HelpFindGifts editors · Updated
Short answer
Order physical gifts in the first half of December and earlier for anything crossing a border. Carriers publish their exact holiday cutoffs in November; after them, give something that arrives by email.
Where the official dates come from
Canada Post, Purolator, UPS and FedEx each publish holiday cutoffs for their own services, usually in November. Retailers then set their own order-by dates a few days earlier, because an order has to be packed before a carrier can collect it.
The date that matters for you is the retailer's, not the carrier's. Look for an 'order by' or 'arrives before Christmas' notice on the product or checkout page; many Canadian retailers post one from mid-November.
Why distance and borders change the answer
Delivery times inside Canada depend heavily on distance. A parcel between two nearby cities can arrive in a couple of business days, while a parcel to a remote or northern address can take more than a week in normal times and longer in December. Canada Post's delivery standards tool shows the normal time between two postal codes.
Orders from the United States add customs processing. Allow extra days, and check whether the checkout says duties and taxes are included; if not, the courier may collect them, plus a brokerage fee, at the door.
A simple plan that works every year
You do not need the exact carrier dates to avoid a late gift. Work backwards from the day you need it.
- Buy anything from outside Canada by the end of November.
- Buy from Canadian retailers in the first week or two of December.
- Check each retailer's order-by notice before paying; it is the real deadline.
- Choose store pickup where it is offered for anything bought in the last week.
- After the cutoffs, switch to instant gifts: e-gift cards, subscriptions, classes and donation gifts.
When it is already too late to ship
An instant gift can feel thin, so give it something to open: print the e-gift card or booking confirmation, put it in a card, and add a small item you already have. Every pick below arrives without a delivery truck.