You’re standing by the window. It’s 2:00 PM. Usually, that familiar white-and-blue truck has already rattled down the street, but today, the curb is empty. You start wondering. Is the mail going to run today, or are you just waiting for a ghost? Honestly, we've all been there. It’s one of those minor daily anxieties that feels surprisingly heavy when you’re expecting a paycheck, a legal document, or even just that pair of shoes you ordered on a whim at midnight.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is a massive machine. It’s a beast. With over 630,000 employees, it handles billions of pieces of mail every year. But even a machine that big hits a snag. Sometimes it’s the calendar. Sometimes it’s the weather. Most of the time, it's just a federal holiday you forgot existed.
Why the Mail Might Be Skipping Your House
If you’re staring at an empty mailbox, the first thing to do is check the date. Federal holidays are the primary reason the mail stops. The USPS follows the federal holiday schedule set by the government. If it’s Juneteenth, Veterans Day, or Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the carriers are home. The trucks stay parked.
But what if it isn't a holiday?
Weather is the big wild card. We’ve all heard the unofficial creed: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." It sounds heroic. It’s etched into the James A. Farley Building in New York. But it isn't actually a legal mandate. It’s a motto. In reality, if there is a blizzard that shuts down the interstate or a hurricane that turns your street into a river, the Postmaster General has the authority to suspend service. Safety comes first. If the roads aren't safe for a heavy LLV (Long Life Vehicle), the mail isn't moving.
Then there’s the "dog factor." It sounds like a joke, but it’s deadly serious for carriers. If a loose dog is roaming the neighborhood and the carrier feels threatened, they can—and will—skip your entire block. USPS keeps strict records on this. In 2023, more than 5,800 postal workers were bitten by dogs. They don’t take risks anymore. If your neighbor’s Doberman is doing laps on the sidewalk, that’s why your mail is late.
Identifying the Federal Holiday Schedule
You’ve got to keep a mental tally of the 11 federal holidays. Most people remember Christmas and Thanksgiving. It's the ones like Columbus Day (Indigenous Peoples' Day) or Presidents' Day that catch us off guard.
For 2026, the mail will not run on these specific dates:
- New Year’s Day: Thursday, January 1
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Monday, January 19
- Presidents' Day: Monday, February 16
- Memorial Day: Monday, May 25
- Juneteenth National Independence Day: Friday, June 19
- Independence Day: Saturday, July 4 (Observed Friday, July 3)
- Labor Day: Monday, September 7
- Columbus Day: Monday, October 12
- Veterans Day: Wednesday, November 11
- Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26
- Christmas Day: Friday, December 25
Wait. There’s a catch.
If a holiday falls on a Sunday, the USPS usually observes it on the following Monday. If it falls on a Saturday, like Independence Day often does, they might observe it on the Friday before. This creates a "dead zone" for mail that can last three days. You might be checking the box on a Monday afternoon, totally forgetting that the postal workers are enjoying a state-sanctioned day off because of a Sunday holiday.
UPS and FedEx vs. The USPS
It gets confusing when you see a brown UPS truck or a purple-and-orange FedEx van flying down your street while the mail isn't running. These are private companies. They don't follow the federal holiday schedule to a T.
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UPS and FedEx often operate on days the post office is closed. For example, they usually run on Columbus Day and Veterans Day. However, they almost always shut down for the "Big Five": New Year’s, Memorial Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. If you’re wondering is the mail going to run today, you have to differentiate between your Amazon driver and your actual mail carrier. They aren't the same.
Actually, there’s a weird hybrid service called "last-mile delivery." You might track a package that says "delivered," but your mailbox is empty. This happens because FedEx or UPS handles the long-haul transit and then drops the package off at a local post office for the USPS to do the final delivery to your door. If the post office is closed for a holiday, that package is going to sit in a bin until the next business day, even if the FedEx truck drove right past your house.
How to Check Status Without Leaving Your Couch
Don't just walk to the end of the driveway every twenty minutes. That’s frustrating.
The USPS has a tool called Informed Delivery. It’s basically a digital preview of your physical mailbox. Every morning, the postal service scans the envelopes destined for your address. They email you grayscale images of the mail pieces. If you get an email at 8:00 AM showing three bills and a postcard, you know the mail is supposed to run. If you don't get an email, or if the email says "you have no mail to display," then the carrier might not be coming to your house at all that day.
It’s a lifesaver for people living in rural areas where the mailbox is half a mile away.
Another trick is the USPS Service Alerts page. This is where they post "Residential Service Disruptions." If a sorting facility in Chicago burns down or a flood hits Vermont, they list the affected zip codes right there. It’s the most accurate way to see if systemic issues are stopping your letters.
Is the Mail Running Right Now?
Let's talk about the "Blue Box" collection times. Even if the mail is running, it doesn't mean it's running yet.
Postal routes change. A carrier might retire, and a new sub takes over. The new person might run the route backward. Suddenly, your 10:00 AM delivery becomes a 4:00 PM delivery. This leads people to think the mail isn't coming. Give it until at least 5:00 PM or 6:00 PM before you give up hope. During the peak holiday season in December, carriers are often out until 8:00 PM or 9:00 PM trying to clear the backlog.
If you see a mail truck in your neighborhood but they skip your house, it’s usually because you simply didn't have any mail that day. With the rise of paperless billing, "no-mail days" are becoming way more common.
The Mystery of Sunday Delivery
Does the mail run on Sunday? Mostly, no. But also, yes.
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For regular letters, stamps, and magazines—forget it. Sunday is a day of rest for the standard mail stream. But for Amazon packages and Priority Mail Express, the USPS has a special contract. In many urban and suburban areas, you will see those little white trucks out on Sunday delivering nothing but boxes.
If you’re waiting for a birthday card from your grandma, it’s not coming on Sunday. If you’re waiting for a new coffee grinder from an online retailer, there’s a decent chance it shows up.
Actionable Steps to Take Right Now
If your mailbox is empty and you're feeling impatient, here is the protocol to follow to find out exactly what's going on.
1. Verify the Date Against the Federal List
Check if today is one of the 11 federal holidays. Remember to check if a weekend holiday is being "observed" on a weekday. If it’s a federal holiday, the mail is definitely not running. Period.
2. Sign Up for Informed Delivery
Go to the USPS website and register for this free service. It takes a few days to verify your identity by mail (ironically), but once it's active, you’ll never have to guess again. You’ll see the images of your mail before the carrier even leaves the station.
3. Check for Local Disruptions
Look out the window. Is there active construction on your street? Is there a massive snowbank blocking your mailbox? USPS carriers are instructed not to get out of their trucks to deliver mail if the box is blocked. You are responsible for keeping the path to your mailbox clear. If a car is parked in front of it, or if the snow hasn't been shoveled, the carrier will just keep driving.
4. Check Your "Service Alerts"
Visit the USPS Service Alerts page online. This will tell you if there are any facility closures or regional outages due to natural disasters or "unusual circumstances."
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5. Talk to Your Carrier
If you see them tomorrow, just ask. "Hey, I noticed the mail didn't come yesterday, was the route down?" Usually, they'll tell you if there was a staffing shortage or a vehicle breakdown. These folks are humans, and they usually know exactly why a neighborhood got skipped.
Most of the time, the answer to "is the mail going to run today" is a simple yes, unless the government has the day off. If the calendar is clear and the weather is fine, just be patient. The truck is probably just a few blocks away, navigating traffic or dealing with a stubborn gate.
Final Checklist for Missing Mail
- Holiday Check: Is it a Monday? (Many holidays fall on Mondays).
- Access Check: Is your mailbox blocked by a vehicle or debris?
- Volume Check: Did you actually have mail scheduled for today?
- Security Check: If you expected a package and it's not there, check your tracking number for a "Held at Post Office" status.
By following these steps, you can stop the guesswork and know exactly when to expect your next delivery.