Do We Get Mail on Columbus Day 2021? Post Office Hours and Delivery Information Revealed

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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel, health, home/interior design and property/real estate. Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively from 2020 to 2022, including several interviews with the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major news events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Capitol riots, the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soo is also a South Korea expert, covering the latest K-dramas—including the breakout hit Squid Game, which she has covered extensively, including from Seoul, the South Korean capital—as well as Korean films, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and K-pop news, to interviews with the biggest Korean actors, such as Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and Star Wars, and Korean directors, such as Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Celine Song. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of The Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations. Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism. You can get in touch with Soo by emailing s.kim@newsweek.com . Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim .Languages spoken: English and Korean

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Columbus Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October every year. In 2021, it falls on October 11.

The annual holiday commemorates Christopher Columbus' landing in the New World on October 12, 1492.

The day usually sees festive parades take place in different cities. The parades have been held for over 500 years since Columbus' fleet of three ships arrived at San Salvador Island, which is part of the Bahamas.

The first recorded celebration of Columbus Day in the U.S. was on October 12, 1792, which marked the 300th anniversary of Columbus' landing.

Columbus Day became an official holiday in the country following a proclamation in 1892 from former U.S. President Benjamin Harrison. It has been observed as a federal holiday since 1971.

Is the Post Office Open on Columbus Day?

Columbus Day is a federal holiday, which means many government offices are shut. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is closed on Columbus Day and USPS branches won't be open on the day.

In a notice about Columbus Day last year, the USPS previously tweeted: "There will be no mail delivery but packages will be delivered."

Are Courier Services Running on Columbus Day?

Customers can still access several courier services on Columbus Day.

UPS

UPS store branches are open on Columbus Day and UPS pickup and delivery services are also available.

UPS SurePost and UPS Mail Innovations deliveries will require an "additional business days' time in transit" due to the holiday, UPS says.

FedEx

Most FedEx services are open on Columbus Day. This includes FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Home Delivery, FedEx Office, FedEx Critical, FedEx Freight as well as FedEx Trade Networks.

FedEx SmartPost will be available as a modified service, which means deliveries may be delayed due to the observance of Columbus Day, FedEx says.

Which Other Holidays Will the USPS Be Closed For?

The USPS will also be closed on some other upcoming holidays. They include Veterans Day (November 11) and Thanksgiving Day (November 25). Both are federal holidays, when workers including USPS staff get to enjoy time off.

Christmas Day (December 25) is also a federal holiday and USPS workers get that day off. Since Christmas this year falls on a Saturday, this year December 24 will be treated as a holiday, so mail services will likely go undelivered on that day.

Below are the other federal holidays throughout the year on which the USPS is closed:

  • New Year's Day (January 1)
  • The birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (third Monday in January)
  • President's Day/Washington's birthday (third Monday in February)
  • Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
  • Independence Day (July 4)
  • Labor Day (first Monday in September)
A statue of Christopher Columbus in Washington,D.C.
A statue of Christopher Columbus seen at Columbus Circle in front of Union Station in Washington, D.C. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
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About the writer

Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel, health, home/interior design and property/real estate. Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively from 2020 to 2022, including several interviews with the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major news events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Capitol riots, the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soo is also a South Korea expert, covering the latest K-dramas—including the breakout hit Squid Game, which she has covered extensively, including from Seoul, the South Korean capital—as well as Korean films, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and K-pop news, to interviews with the biggest Korean actors, such as Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and Star Wars, and Korean directors, such as Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Celine Song. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of The Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations. Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism. You can get in touch with Soo by emailing s.kim@newsweek.com . Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim .Languages spoken: English and Korean

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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more