Key points
- The earliest deadline is noon on Friday 4 December, for personalised gifts that take longer (shown on their page).
- Personalised gifts with your pet's name: order by noon on Tuesday 8 December.
- Items marked same-day dispatch have the latest date: noon on Thursday 17 December.
- Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday, and Monday 28 December is the Boxing Day bank holiday.
- Every product page shows the expected delivery dates before you pay, worked out from the moment you order.
- Items from the same place share one parcel, from £3.19, and once a parcel's items reach £40, its standard delivery is free on most items. Personalised gifts travel as their own parcel, from £3.19.
When is the last day to order pet gifts for Christmas 2026?
It depends on how the gift is made and where it leaves from. Gifts printed or engraved with your pet's name are made to order, photo gifts are printed in a lab, and ready-made items leave a UK warehouse, so each has its own date. Here is every one, earliest first, for the whole range, from Christmas gifts for pets to presents for the dog and cat lovers on your list.
| Item | Last order for Christmas | How it travels |
|---|---|---|
| Personalised gifts that take longer (shown on their page) | noon on Friday 4 December | Royal Mail Tracked 24 |
| Personalised gifts | noon on Tuesday 8 December | Royal Mail Tracked 24 |
| Photo gifts printed to order: mug, large mug, colour mug, calendar, playing cards, phone case, print on an oak stand | noon on Tuesday 8 December | Royal Mail Tracked 48 |
| Items marked "Standard dispatch" | noon on Wednesday 9 December | Royal Mail Tracked 48 or APC |
| Photo gifts printed to order: bauble, ornament, Christmas sack, tea towel, coasters | noon on Friday 11 December | Royal Mail Tracked 48 |
| Items marked "Dispatch in 1–2 working days" | noon on Monday 14 December | Tracked UK delivery |
| Items marked "Dispatch in 1 working day" | noon on Monday 14 December | Royal Mail or DPD Tracked 48 |
| Photo gifts printed to order: cushion, blanket, jigsaw, canvas, large canvas | noon on Tuesday 15 December | Royal Mail Tracked 48 |
| Items marked "Dispatched within 2 working days" | noon on Wednesday 16 December | Royal Mail Tracked 24 |
| Photo gifts printed to order: framed print, print | noon on Wednesday 16 December | Royal Mail Tracked 48 |
| Items marked "Same-day dispatch by 2pm" | 2pm on Wednesday 16 December | Royal Mail Tracked 48 |
| Items marked "Same-day dispatch" | noon on Thursday 17 December | Royal Mail Tracked 48 |
| Personalised gifts marked "Next day available", with the next day option at checkout | noon on Monday 21 December | Next day, Royal Mail Tracked 24 |
Order before these times and the latest delivery date we show is before Christmas Day. After them, the product page shows a later date, so you always know before you pay. The first deadline is noon on Friday 4 December and the last is noon on Monday 21 December.
Which pet gifts should I order first?
Start with anything made just for your pet. A stocking with their name, a bandana for the Christmas photo or a bowl mat for Christmas dinner is made by hand for each order, so the maker needs a few working days before it can leave. Photo gifts come next: a mug, cushion or bauble printed with your own picture of your dog or cat is printed in the lab and sent from there.
Items in stock can wait a little longer. Leads, toys, beds and gifts for pet lovers leave the warehouse ready-made, and the ones marked same-day dispatch have the latest date of all.
A simple plan:
- This week: order every personalised pet gift and photo gift on your list.
- Early December: order the ready-made gifts for the dog lovers and cat lovers in your family.
- The last few days: pick from the items marked same-day dispatch, which leave the day you order by noon, Monday to Friday.
Why do personalised and photo pet gifts have earlier deadlines?
Because they are made after you order. A personalised gift is made by a UK maker with the name or words you type, which takes 1 to 5 working days, then it travels by Royal Mail Tracked 24. A few take 7 to 10 working days, and their page says so, so their date comes even sooner.
Photo gifts are printed to order in a UK lab, usually in 3 to 5 working days and up to 7 in December, then sent by Royal Mail Tracked 48. Each kind of photo gift is printed in its own lab, so a photo mug and a photo cushion can travel as two parcels and have different dates.
Ready-made items take 1 to 2 working days to leave the warehouse most of the year, and up to 4 in the busy weeks before Christmas. The carriers' busiest week falls just before Christmas Day too, so our dates leave room for it.
How will I know when my pet's gift will arrive?
Every product page shows the expected delivery dates before you add it to your basket, worked out from the moment you're ordering, that supplier's real dispatch times and the carrier's delivery times. The basket and checkout show the same dates for every parcel, so you can see whether it gets there before Christmas Day before you pay.
When your parcel leaves, we email you the tracking link. If you ordered while signed in, the order and its tracking are in your account too. Each parcel travels on its own, so a basket with a personalised gift, a photo gift and a ready-made item can arrive on different days.
Can I send a Christmas gift for someone else's dog or cat straight to them?
Yes. Add their name and address at checkout and the parcel goes straight to their door. Add a free e-card too: we email your message to them at 8am on the first day the gift could arrive, so they know it's on its way, even before the postman knocks.
It's a lovely way to spoil a friend's new puppy, a grandparent's cat or the family dog you miss at Christmas.
What if I've missed the last order date?
There is still time for plenty of gifts:
- Pick an item marked same-day dispatch. It has the latest date of all: noon on Thursday 17 December.
- Choose a ready-made item instead of a personalised one. Many gifts for dogs, cats and pet lovers leave the warehouse ready-made and have a later date than gifts made with a name.
- Send a free e-card with any order. If the gift will land after Christmas, your message still reaches them on the first day it could arrive, so they know it's coming.
Does Royal Mail deliver between Christmas and New Year?
Royal Mail doesn't deliver on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. In 2026 Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December. Orders placed over Christmas count from the next working day, and every product page shows the new date.
How much is delivery at Christmas?
The same as the rest of the year. Items from the same place share one parcel, from £3.19, and once a parcel's items reach £40, its standard delivery is free on most items. At checkout every parcel lists all its delivery options, cheapest first, and faster options cost only the difference. Every price is on our delivery page.