Residents wanting to mail holiday items to U.S. troops overseas should do so soon.

Here are recommended mailing dates for delivery by Christmas to U.S. military overseas APO/FPO addresses:

¢ Using regular first-class and priority mail, holiday mail sent to U.S. troops stationed at APO/FPO addresses in Iraq and Afghanistan should be sent to other military overseas APO/FPO locations by Tuesday for arrival by Christmas. Express mail delivery will still be available for delivery by Christmas to most overseas military locales if mailed by Dec. 18.

¢ All packages and mail must be addressed to individual service members by name, in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense regulations. All military overseas units are assigned an APO or FPO ZIP code and, in many cases, that ZIP code travels with the unit.

¢ As for holiday deadlines for regular mail, holiday cards, letters and packages going to U.S. destinations should be mailed by Dec. 20 for delivery by Christmas. For holiday mail going to international countries, the general deadline is Tuesday, except for countries in Africa and Central America and South America, which was Dec. 4.

For more information, visit the USPS Web site, www.usps.com, or call (800) ASK-USPS.