This blog series is called Mail Call for a reason. Ask almost anyone who has served what they remember about time away from home, and somewhere in the answer is the moment the mail showed up. A name gets called, a box gets passed down the line, and for a few minutes nobody is thinking about the job. They're thinking about home.

I've been thinking about that a lot this week, because the holiday mail window for troops overseas opens up sooner than most people realize. If you have a Marine, sailor, soldier, airman or guardian stationed abroad or deployed, the first deadline is about a week away.

The dates to know

The U.S. Postal Service publishes recommended send-by dates for mail headed to military and diplomatic addresses (APO, FPO and DPO) for expected delivery before December 25. For 2026, they are:

Those dates are the same across every military ZIP group USPS lists. They're recommendations, not guarantees, and USPS notes that actual delivery can vary. My advice is simple: treat the earliest date as the real one. If you've already got the gift, get it in the box now.

A few things that make it easier

According to the USPS military mail page, care packages to APO, FPO and DPO addresses ship at domestic prices, even though they're going overseas. USPS also offers free APO/FPO Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Boxes that you can order online from The Postal Store and have delivered to your door.

Overseas military mail often needs a customs form, and the rules on what you can send depend on the destination. USPS points senders to its APO/FPO/DPO restrictions lookup tool, and its Click-N-Ship service will flag some restrictions and tell you which customs forms you need. One example USPS calls out: you can't ship hand sanitizer or flammable sanitizing wipes overseas. Packages going to a DPO address also have size limits of 27 inches long by 14 inches wide by 14 inches high. If you're unsure, ask at the counter or check the official pages linked below before you seal it up.

What actually goes in the box

This is the part I'd put the most thought into. The snacks and socks are great, and nobody ever turns down good coffee. But what people hold on to is the stuff that only you could have sent: a handwritten letter, a few printed photos, a drawing from a kid, a note from the friends they grew up with. The care package is really just a way to deliver the message that someone back home is thinking about them.

And don't sweat it if a big package isn't in the budget. A card counts. A letter counts. First-Class Mail has until December 9, so there's still plenty of time to write one.

Why I still care about this

I served in the Marine Corps from 2014 to 2018, and the Marines I served with are a big part of why I started The Calm Seas Project. What I've learned since getting out is that the feeling behind mail call never really goes away. It's the same thing that makes a phone call from an old friend land so hard, years later. Somebody remembered you.

So here's my ask for this week. If you know someone serving overseas, put a note on your calendar for November 4 and get something in the mail. If you're a veteran, think about the people who did that for you, and maybe send them a thank-you of your own. It doesn't take much to make somebody's day a long way from home.

Semper Fi.

Sources: USPS: 2026 Holiday Shipping Deadlines · USPS: Military & Diplomatic Mail · USPS Newsroom: Postal Service Recommends 2026 Holiday Mailing and Shipping Dates

Written by Ryan Gunning, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, University of Alabama graduate, and founder of The Calm Seas Project in Jacksonville, FL. More in Mail Call.

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