Plenty of options for sending gifts

If you are sending parcels to family outside France for Christmas, La Poste has a variety of options – but you may also like to consider one of the private courier firms.

The right service may depend on what exactly you are sending – size and weight and whether it is delicate or not – as well as how late you leave it…

Small objects
You can send small slim items by ordinary letter post (lettre prioritaire) if you wish (though you might want to use a reinforced or bubble-wrap envelope). Officially this is allowed for items that are less than 3cm thick and not more than 2kg.

You can even print your own stamps at https://boutique.laposte.fr/ See affranchissement à domicile > imprimer à domicile les timbres illustrés. For a CD weighing under 100g it would be just €1.96.

There are no official Christmas posting dates – in theory postage times are similar to other times of year, such as three days for first class post within the EU.

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However Royal Mail says this year to make sure that letters and parcels sent by postal services arrive in the UK no later than December 20 for them to complete the delivery on time. La Poste recommends posting parcels to the UK no later than December 15.

For more valuable items, lettre recommandée offers a tracked and guaranteed service, also for slim items up to 2kg. See the above site for Affranchir à domicile une lettre recommandée for the option of printing off your own recorded delivery labels for convenience. You can then either drop them into your post office or alternatively La Poste now offers the option of leaving them in your own mailbox for the postal worker to collect.

La Poste parcel services
Colissimo International is La Poste’s tracked and signed-for parcel service, for items up to 30kg, which you can either do via your post office, or using boutique.laposte.fr/colissimo-en-ligne to print your labels and then (for postage in the EU) leave it in your mailbox (assuming it is large enough and is of a standardised type). You just have to click dans votre boîte aux lettres while entering your details, then place it in the box before 8am the following day. Tariffs start from €12.15 for 500g within the EU. Click Calculez votre tarif for a handy guide to typical weights and costs.

If using a post office, you may have to print your own label at a machine before handing over the parcel. They also sell ready-made boxes for posting, including one for sending a bottle of wine. La Poste says Colissimo offers a guaranteed delivery date.

Chronopost (chronopost.fr/en/private) is La Poste’s express service, offering one or two-day guaranteed delivery… at a price (eg. about €38 a 500g parcel to the UK delivered in two days).

Other services
Various private couriers such as UPS, DHL, FedEx and Mondial Relay work by having the parcel collected or dropping it off at one of the partner relay points, such as in a local shop.

Several French comparison website companies offer to help you find the best deal, with discounts if you order via their sites, such as envoimoinscher.com or tarif-colis.com. Even if you do not order via them, they can help you gauge the options available. Such services often include guaranteed delivery by a given date.