For many, Black Friday is the official start of the holiday shopping season. This pseudo-holiday, which falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving, sees brick-and-mortar and online retailers alike offering limited deals on all manner of items. Many flock to stores in an effort to not just buy discounted 50” televisions, but to get a jump on the holiday madness. Purchasing items almost a month before the holidays should allow for plenty of time to have your items properly wrapped, packaged, and shipped to your loved ones throughout the country (and world!), right?

It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Holidays.  Between shopping, coordinating travel, and planning meals, shipping your holiday packages might not be the #1 priority on your list.  Here are some quick tips to help ensure that your packages arrive safely and aren’t mistaken as New Year’s gifts due to their late arrival.

According to the National Retail Federation, holiday shopping spending this November and December is expected to increase 13-15 percent over 2012. Improved consumer confidence, consumer credit, and disposable personal income will contribute to an increased spend of up to $82 billion this holiday season. Online shopping will see the largest growth.

Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are right around the corner and that means Christmas is not far behind. The holiday shopping season seems to begin earlier and earlier every year with holiday items found in stores during Halloween and lights and decorations going up in early November. For some, the holidays can mean a time of stress over mall traffic, choosing the right gifts, and getting those gifts to their intended recipients on time. Others seem to be on top of everything with all their gifts purchases, wrapped, and out the door before Thanksgiving.

With the joy of holiday gift giving, comes the chore of holiday gift shipping. To make customers’ lives easier, Pak Mail announced the release of a holiday gift shipping guide.