Christmas Shipping

Christmas is just around the corner and if you still have shopping to do, time is running out. Today I received an e-mail from a company from which I planned to get Christmas gifts. The e-mail said that orders need to be made soon if one hopes to receive the gifts before Christmas. Fortunately I had my orders ready and got them in before the deadline. My kids will receive their gifts before that important day in a few weeks.

There are a number of online retailers urging shoppers to get their orders in before it is too late. FedEx has listed the following dates that are important if you want to get gifts delivered on or before December 22nd:

• December 15 for FedEx Ground
• December 20 for 2-day delivery
• December 21 for 1-day delivery

They also go on to list that they will be doing modified home and ground delivery on the 23rd and 24th of December. All delivery services will be closed on December 25th, which is a good thing as I would hate to be forced to work that day myself.

UPS has a similar schedule where they say that December 20th is the last day to utilize 2-day delivery for packages that will arrive on the 24th. They then go on to say that 3-day deliveries sent on the 20th, won't be delivered until Friday the 27th. 

The Unites States Postal Service is also listing dates on their website. They include different schedules for Alaska and Hawaii, which is important. While some of the dates remain the same (i.e. First Class and Priority Mail service) Ground Advantage requires 2 extra days and Priority Mail Express Service 1 extra day. Otherwise the dates look similar to FedEx and UPS.

I want my Christmas gifts to arrive as close to the special day as possible and so some might think I have waited way too long before getting them shipped. Normally I would have to agree with one exception. This year, I have decided to get something that is perishable and so I don't want them to arrive too early. It would also be a huge disappointment for them to arrive late. Hopefully I timed it correctly this year and everything works out. Hopefully you also find the information above helpful this Holiday season if you still have gifts to send.

Delivery Drivers Contributing to Porch Pirates

I don't know about you but it seems that the delivery drivers in my area are helping contribute to Porch Pirates. This morning I ordered something from Amazon and it arrived this evening. I didn't think anything about it until I decided to check my e-mail before heading off to bed. I saw that my package had arrived thanks to an e-mail. I have a doorbell but it never rang. I was in the next room and never heard a knock. Someone looking for a chance to steal a nice large package of mostly air could have plenty of opportunity while I am at home watching a movie.

The Amazon driver is not alone. It is rare that a delivery driver from FedEx, UPS, or DHL ever rings my doorbell. I have sort of gotten into the habit of opening the front door and looking on the porch every time I walk by. It is actually starting to annoy me. Fortunately I have never had a delivery stolen but I hear about them on the news all the time.

I guess one way to ensure I am notified about deliveries is to turn on the motion detector for my Ring doorbell. Right now it is off because I was getting too many false alarms. I have a bird that likes to nest near my front door and when he flies in or out I get a notification. Ring already sends me too many messages no matter how I change my settings on my phone and so I have motion detection turned off.

Ultimately I will keep things as they are simply because I have not had any deliveries taken. The moment that changes, I may have to turn on my doorbell's motion detector and live with all of the false alarms. On the plus side, I can go out and shoot the nesting bird with a Nerf dart and help keep him from pooping all over my front steps. That usually discourages him from sticking around.