It’s just one week until Christmas Eve, so it’s not too early to get those holiday cards and packages headed toward their destinations. The U.S. Postal Service recommends the following ship-by dates for arrival before Dec. 25:

• Dec. 18 - First-class mail; USPS Ground Advantage

• Dec. 19 - Priority Mail

• Dec. 21 Priority Mail Express

All Post Office locations will be closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day and mail will not be picked up. Regular Post Office hours and mail delivery will resume on the Thursday after each holiday.

Mail will be picked up by the scheduled collection times at the blue collection boxes on Christmas Eve.

Regular mail will be delivered and post offices will be open on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

As a reminder, Forever stamps are 73 cents and postcard stamps are 56 cents.

Festive artwork

Christmas Madonna and Child Stamps are a popular seasonal choice. The artwork for this year’s issue (released Sept. 14) depicts a watchful Madonna, her head tilted toward the sleeping Christ child resting against her. William Gicker was the art director for the project; Greg Breeding designed the stamp and booklet. It is issued as a Forever stamp, which means it will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.

Stamps are 73 cents each, available in books of 20 for $14.60

Other books are:

• Holiday Joy, festive stamps inspired by folk art. The four designs feature two ornaments, a vibrant poinsettia and a blue flower.

• Winter Whimsy, a digitally rendered design recalling hand-cut “snowflakes.”

• Winter Woodland Animals Stamps

• Holiday Elves Stamps

• Snow Globes Stamps

• Hanukkah Stamps

• Kwanzaa Stamps

Global Poinsettia Stamps can be used to mail a one-ounce letter to any country in which First-Class Main International service is available. These round stamps are $1.65 each or a sheet of 10 for $16.50.