Christmas gifts to send family in Ghana: order-by dates and what ships fast
The last day to order Christmas 2026 gifts for family in Ghana from the USA, which gifts still fly in time, what to leave for later, and post office dates.
By the Landed team · · 5 min read
To get a Christmas 2026 gift to family in Ghana from a US store through Landed, order by Friday 20 November at 6pm and send it by air. Sea freight is already too late for Christmas. What still makes it is small and light: clothes and sneakers, watches and bags, phones and earbuds, toys and books. Perfume, aerosols and anything big or heavy should wait for the new year.
These dates were true on 3 November 2026. Products in the shop show the date to order by for the next holiday they can still reach, so check the product before you pay.
Christmas 2026 order-by dates
| How it travels | Takes about | Last day to order for Christmas |
|---|---|---|
| By air from the USA | 25 days | Friday 20 November, 6pm |
| By sea from the USA | 45 to 90 days | Too late for Christmas |
Our date comes earlier than the post office's because it covers the whole journey: buying the item, the store's delivery to us, the flight, clearing Ghana Customs and getting it to our Accra showroom. Miss 20 November and the gift will most likely arrive after Christmas, so treat it as the real deadline.
Gifts that still make it by air
Air freight suits things that are small, light and not hazardous. These are the safest Christmas picks.
Clothes and sneakers
A new outfit for Christmas Day, jeans, shirts, dresses, and Nike, Adidas or New Balance sneakers. They are light, hard to damage and easy to pack. US and UK sizes differ, so check the size chart before you order.
Kids' clothes, toys and books
Buy children's clothes a size up so they still fit when the box lands. Toys, books and school bags pack well. If a toy has a built-in rechargeable battery, say so when you ask for a price, because lithium batteries have their own airline rules.
Watches, handbags, wallets and jewellery
Small, valuable and hard to find genuine in Accra. A good watch or a leather bag is worth far more than the cost of flying it.
Phones, tablets, earbuds and smartwatches
These carry lithium batteries inside, which airlines accept only when they are packed the way the US Federal Aviation Administration requires. Buy phones unlocked so they work on any Ghana network. Recent US iPhones work only with an eSIM; our guide to buying an iPhone in the USA for Ghana explains what to check.
Skincare and hair care
Lotions, creams, body butters and hair products in pump or squeeze bottles usually fly. Anything flammable or in an aerosol can does not, so read the next section first.
Gifts to leave for the new year
- Perfume, cologne, body sprays, nail polish and aerosols. The FAA treats flammable liquids and aerosols as hazardous materials on planes, so they usually travel by sea or need special handling. For Christmas, pick a gift without them, or order now and tell the family it is coming later.
- Power banks and spare batteries. Loose lithium batteries face the strictest airline rules. Ask us how one can travel before you count on it for Christmas.
- Big or heavy things. Fridges, freezers, air conditioners, large TVs, generators and furniture go by sea, which can no longer make 25 December. They make good new-year gifts instead. For Valentine's Day, the last sea order date is Friday 6 November and the last air date is Friday 15 January.
- Food hampers. Packaged food in small amounts usually arrives, but large amounts of food need a permit, and fresh or homemade food rarely survives the trip.
- Anything made only for American power. The USA runs on 120 volts and Ghana on 230 volts. Unless the label says "100 to 240V", a hair dryer or kitchen gadget from a US store can burn out on the first day.
Our guide to what you cannot ship to Ghana has the full list of banned and restricted goods.
Christmas gift ideas by person
- For a mother or grandmother: a handbag, a wristwatch, a large-print Bible, a skincare set with no fragrance.
- For a father or grandfather: a watch, a leather wallet, good shirts, sneakers or sandals.
- For a wife or husband: a smartwatch, earbuds, jewellery, a designer belt or bag.
- For children: a Christmas Day outfit a size up, toys, books, a school bag for the new term.
- For teenagers and students: earbuds, sneakers, a tablet, a gaming controller.
Posting it yourself
If you would rather buy and post the gift yourself, USPS recommends these send-by dates for mail to Africa to arrive before 25 December 2026:
| USPS service to Africa | Recommended send-by date |
|---|---|
| First-Class Package International | Wednesday 9 December |
| Priority Mail International | Wednesday 9 December |
| Priority Mail Express International | Wednesday 16 December |
USPS says actual delivery depends on where and when you post it, where it is going and other conditions, so these are aims, not promises. The parcel still has to clear Ghana Customs at the other end, and the person collecting it may be asked to pay duty. Our guide to sending a package to Ghana from the USA or UK compares the post, couriers and shippers, and how to calculate import duty in Ghana shows how the duty is worked out.
In the UK, Royal Mail has published its Christmas 2026 dates for post inside the UK but not for international mail. It advises posting international gifts as early as possible and lists delivery aims for each country in its country guides. Landed does not buy from UK shops, but you can order from a US store through us while you live in the UK.
If you are flying home for Christmas
Carrying gifts in your suitcase is the last-minute option. Ghana Customs lets you bring in your own clothes and personal effects free of duty, but new goods for other people can attract duty, and electrical goods only count as your own after at least six months of use. Power banks and spare lithium batteries must go in your carry-on bag, never in checked luggage, and are limited to 100 watt hours each.
How Landed gets a Christmas gift there
Landed buys the gift from a US store, ships it, clears customs and holds it at our Accra showroom for your family to collect. You pay one all-in price, agreed before you pay: the item, shipping, duty and clearing, and our service.
- Paste the link from Amazon, Walmart, Costco or another US store, or pick the gift from our shop.
- Say it is a Christmas gift for family, and who will collect it.
- Place the order by Friday 20 November at 6pm so it can fly.
We message your family on WhatsApp the day it lands, and they can come themselves or send their own driver with the order number. You can follow the order on the tracking page.
- Shop clothes and sneakers, watches and gifts, phones and tablets, earbuds and gadgets, toys and kids' clothes and hair and beauty.
- Found the gift in another store? Paste the link and get a price.
- More ideas: best things to send home to Ghana and what families are ordering now on trending in Ghana.
