Once the decision of what to give loved ones is made, it’s time to decide the best way to ship the gifts.

The United States Postal Service, United Parcel Service and Federal Express are trying to help with shipping dilemmas.

The U.S. Postal Service in Ames has many different options students can take advantage of during the holiday rush. Some of the different options include priority mail, overnight mail and parcel post mail.

Dave Massarini, Ames postmaster, said priority mail has become one of the most popular types of delivery because it is reasonably priced and delivery time takes two to three days.

Massarini said parcel post is cheaper but sometimes takes up to a week to deliver.

“It’s great for people who have a little bit of time to spare,” he said.

Massarini also said the postal service offers a convenient delivery schedule.

“We pride ourselves on being the only delivery service that delivers 365 days a year,” he said.

He said the U.S. Postal Service in Ames will be delivering on the next couple of Sundays and on Christmas Day.

“Not all of our services will be delivering, but our priority mail will be going out,” he said.

The United Parcel Service also has many different options for holiday shipping.

UPS has eight different domestic shipping options. Some options include Next Day Air Early A.M., Next Day Air Saver, Two Day Air and ground service.

Along with the eight domestic choices, UPS provides 10 international shipping options.

According to the UPS Web site, Next Day Air features fast, reliable delivery to all 50 states and Puerto Rico. It guarantees delivery by 10:30 a.m., noon or the end of the day Monday through Friday, and noon or 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

UPS’ ground service guarantees the day of delivery for every package that is shipped, according to the Web site.

However, with the holiday season coming, UPS’s schedule will change some. UPS will have regular air and ground deliveries on Christmas Eve; however, there will be no service at all on Christmas Day. Packages picked up on Dec. 23, will be delivered on Dec. 28.

Federal Express also is trying to make holiday shipping more convenient.

Cornell Christion, FedEx media relations representative, said the last day to send domestic packages for Christmas Eve is Dec. 23. That includes the First Overnight option, which is delivered at 8 a.m., Priority Overnight, which arrives at 10:30 a.m., and Standard Overnight, which has a 3 p.m. delivery.

FedEx offers a money-back guarantee for two aspects of its shipping process. First, it guarantees packages will be delivered when stated. They also guarantee to provide the status of your package within 30 minutes of an inquiry.