Here's what you need to know about this year's holiday shipping deadlines

If you've already done your holiday shopping, ship those gifts out immediately to avoid paying a premium to guarantee their arrival by Christmas.

The first of the holiday season's shipping deadlines kicked in on Wednesday, FedEx Ground's cutoff day for guaranteed Christmas delivery.

Consumers who miss the cutoff can still pay a premium for FedEx's next-day and overnight services to have their packages arrive on time for the holiday: