Holiday 2025
Shopping & Shipping Guide

Holiday Shopping & Shipping Tips: What to Know Before You Order

Whether you’re planning your holiday gift shopping or eagerly waiting for your packages to arrive, we’ve put together a few helpful tips to guide you through the season. You’ll find advice on when to order, how to choose the best shipping option, and what to do if you see that dreaded “Now arriving late” message from the carriers.

If you still have a question after reading through our guide, we’re always happy to help — just reach out to us at info@charliemadisonoriginals.com.

A quick heads up: Orders placed after November 27, 2025 may take a few extra days (3–7 business days) to arrive due to the usual holiday shipping slowdowns. We truly appreciate your patience with our hardworking friends at USPS and UPS — and promise your package will be worth the wait!

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3 TIPS FOR STRESS-FREE HOLIDAY SHOPPING

1. Shop Early! The earlier you shop for your holiday gifts, the better chance you’ll have of receiving them right on time. Ordering early means less stress, fewer shipping delays, and more time to enjoy the magic of the season (instead of refreshing tracking links every hour!).

2. Choose UPS Over USPS. We all love free First-Class shipping, but during the holidays, the Postal Service can get a little overwhelmed and delivery times may stretch out. If you’re worried about on-time arrivals or lost packages, choosing UPS at checkout is your best bet for reliable delivery.

3. Thank You for Your Patience. Getting your gifts shipped out quickly is our top priority, and we’ll be working extra hard behind the scenes to make that happen. Once your package leaves our studio, it’s in the hands of the carrier, and we truly appreciate your patience if delays pop up. If your package seems lost or stuck in transit, we’ll guide you to the carrier’s website to file a claim while they work through the busy holiday rush.

Holiday Shipping Deadlines & Studio Schedule

Please note: The dates below are our best estimates for receiving your packages in time for holiday gifting — but we can’t guarantee exact delivery times once orders are with the carriers. What we can promise is that we’ll pack and ship your orders as quickly as possible so they’re on their way without delay.


USPS First-Class Shipping: Order by December 16

USPS Priority Mail + UPS Ground: Order by December 18

Last day for all orders: December 22 (delivery by Christmas is not guaranteed)

STUDIO HOLIDAY BREAK: Our studio will be closed December 23, 2025 – January 1, 2026 so we can rest, recharge, and spend time with family. Orders placed during this time will ship when we return after the New Year.

SHIPPING OPTIONS

We all love free shipping — especially during the holidays! However, with the U.S. Postal Service experiencing longer delivery times (and the occasional lost package), we highly recommend choosing UPS if you’re concerned about getting your gifts in time for the holidays.

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding as we work extra hard to get your holiday orders packed and shipped as quickly as possible.

SHIPPING RATES


USPS First-Class Shipping: $5.95 for orders under $79 (jewelry only).

Complimentary for orders over $79 (excluding apparel, hats, & totes)

USPS Priority Mail: $11.00

UPS Ground: $11.00

USPS Priority Express: $36.00

FAQs

How will I know when my order ships?

You’ll receive an email confirmation as soon as your order is ready to ship. That email will include a tracking number from the carrier you selected (USPS or UPS). You can follow your package’s journey and get real-time updates by clicking the tracking link in your email.

Can you see more tracking details than I can?

No — the tracking link you receive shows the exact same information we see on our end. We don’t have access to any additional details beyond what’s provided by USPS or UPS.

Why is my package taking a strange route?

Sometimes USPS packages take a longer or unexpected route before reaching their destination — especially during the busy holiday season. We know how frustrating that can be (we’re tracking packages too!), and we truly appreciate your patience while USPS and UPS work hard to deliver everyone’s holiday gifts.

Shipping times are typically longer during the holiday season. The shipping times below were taken from the USPS & UPS websites and are for delivery within the United States.

USPS 1st Class Shipping: 2-7 business days 

USPS Priority Mail:  1-3 business days

USPS Priority Express:  Overnight guarantee

UPS Ground: 1-5 days

My tracking says “Stuck in Transit” or “Arriving Late.” What does that mean?

We totally understand how frustrating it is to see your package stuck in transit—especially when you’re eagerly waiting for your order to arrive! Unfortunately, carrier tracking systems aren’t always reliable, and sometimes they’ll show messages like “In Transit, Arriving Late” or “Stuck in Transit” without giving an updated delivery date.

The good news: this usually doesn’t mean your package is lost. It simply means it’s been delayed somewhere within the carrier’s system and will often start moving again soon.

Please know that we don’t have access to any additional tracking information beyond what you see—our system shows the exact same updates. We share your frustration and truly appreciate your patience with USPS and UPS as they work through seasonal delays.

If your order hasn’t been delivered within 10 business days of shipment, we recommend filing a claim directly with your carrier:


USPS: File a Claim

UPS: File a Claim

Filing a claim often helps trigger updated tracking information. Please allow 2–3 days for the carrier to respond to your claim before reaching out to us about a replacement.

If you’d like to request a replacement package, please email us at info@charliemadisonoriginals.com once your claim has been filed. We’ll ask you to complete a short claim form for our records so we can send your replacement order.

If your original package eventually arrives after a replacement has been sent, we kindly ask that you return the duplicate package to us.

My tracking says “Delivered,” but I didn’t receive my package.

We know how frustrating it is when your tracking says “Delivered” but there’s no package in sight — we’ve had it happen to us too, and it’s incredibly disappointing. Unfortunately, we don’t have access to any additional tracking information beyond what you see; our system shows the same carrier updates.

If your tracking shows that your package was delivered but you haven’t received it, here’s what to do:

1. Check with neighbors or household members.

Sometimes packages are misdelivered to a nearby address or tucked somewhere unexpected (like behind a plant, garage, or porch furniture).

2. Contact your carrier directly.

Reach out to the carrier you selected at checkout — either your local post office or UPS. All lost or stolen package claims must be filed directly with the carrier.

 - USPS: File a Claim

 - UPS: File a Claim

Please allow 2–3 days for the carrier to investigate and respond to your claim before contacting us about a replacement.

If you’d like to request a replacement after that, please email us at info@charliemadisonoriginals.com once your claim has been filed. We’ll ask you to complete a short claim form for our records so we can send your replacement order.

We truly understand how stressful it is when a package goes missing, and we’ll always do our best to help make it right.

Thank You

We know you have so many choices when it comes to finding the perfect gifts, and we’re truly honored that you chose to shop with our small business this holiday season. As a mother-daughter, military-family-run company, your support means the world to us — it allows us to keep doing what we love and continue giving back to military families around the world.

From our family to yours, we wish you a peaceful, joy-filled holiday season and time to make beautiful memories with the ones you love.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Wendy & Madison Hively