How We Check Facts

Last updated: October 26, 2026.

Xmas Corner helps American families plan Christmas: how many days are left, when to ship gifts, what to cook and how to decorate safely. Dates, deadlines and safety tips only help if they are right, so this page explains how we check them.

Where our facts come from

For anything that can be checked, we go to the official source first, not to other blogs:

• Shipping deadlines: the carrier's own page, such as the USPS holiday shipping dates.
• Holiday dates: the U.S. Office of Personnel Management federal holiday list.
• Food safety: the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.
• Fire and decorating safety: the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

How we show it

• Every article shows a Last updated date at the top.
• Every article ends with a Sources list that links to the official pages we used and says when we checked them.
• When a carrier or agency has not announced something yet, we say so instead of guessing.

The countdown

Our Christmas countdown runs in your browser and uses your device's own clock and time zone. It counts down to midnight at the start of December 25 where you are, and resets the day after Christmas.

Recipes and ideas

Recipes, gift ideas and decorating ideas are written and tested for home cooks and families in the United States, with US measurements and temperatures in Fahrenheit. Food safety temperatures and storage times follow USDA guidance.

Keeping things current

We review dates and deadlines every year, and again in November and December when carriers and agencies update their pages. If we change a fact, we update the date at the top of the article.

Spotted a mistake?

Please tell us on our Contact Us page. We check every report and fix confirmed errors quickly.