A little note: at this stage you probably only need section 1.
Another note: EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT MAILING could you please try to find me a link for your country's last posting dates for Christmas? (see section 1) There are a lot missing and it would be really helpful. Thanks!
Missing countries: France, Germany, Finland, Belgium, Poland, Serbia, Romania, Malaysia, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil.

1. Find out the last posting date

Those of you who are mailing your presents should all now have received the address of the person you're sending it to. Royal Mail publishes last posting dates for Christmas and I'm sure postal services of other countries do too. These are the latest dates you can post things to a particular country and still have it get there in time for Christmas. To beat the rush, you still want to post well before this date if possible.

For example, in the UK, the last posting dates for Christmas 2009 are
- 4th Dec for sending TO South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Far East, Asia, New Zealand and Australia
- 10th Dec for sending TO Japan, USA, Canada and Eastern Europe and
- 11th Dec for sending TO Western Europe
- 18th Dec for second class within the UK
- 21st Dec for first class within the UK
***please note that these dates are for letters and parcels going FROM the UK!***

Here are some for other countries:
USPS (USA)
Australia Post - ask at your local outlet or call 131318.
Canada Post
TNT Post (Netherlands)
PhilPost (Philippines)

If I don't have your country, try Googling "last posting dates Christmas 2009" and the name of your country's postal service (e.g. Royal Mail, La Poste, Hong Kong Post).
If you provide me with them I will put them up here to help everyone else.

Please make sure you get the last posting dates for 2009!

Please also note that almost all of these dates are for AIR MAIL. Surface mail or seamail takes many months and there's no way you'll get it there in time for Christmas if you take this option.

2. Getting ready
Once you've made your art here is what you need to do:

Traditional Drawings
Scan the original (so you can put it on dA later) but DON'T upload it to deviantART until 19th Dec! Put the art in a hardback envelope (so it doesn't get bent). Write "Don't Open Before Christmas" on the outside if you like! (I've made some stickers that say this that I was going to send out but they haven't turned up yet so we will see.)

Digital Drawings and Photos
You will need to get a print made. If you are used to doing this and you have a print company that you like that's fantastic (Loxley Colour are superb for photos but I don't know any more).
If you don't know what you're doing, that's fine too. I've made a guide to making prints on deviantART if you need help. Unfortunately this means you'll need to upload it to dA early and risk your Secret Santa seeing it, but I guess it can't be helped.
Make sure you allow enough time for the print to arrive. When it's arrived, put the art in a hardback envelope (so it doesn't get bent). Write "Don't Open Before Christmas" on the outside if you like! (I've made some stickers that say this that I was going to send out but they haven't turned up yet so we will see.)

Artisan Crafts
Take a high quality photo of the original (so you can put it on dA later) but DON'T upload it to deviantART until 19th Dec! Make sure you get a nice, well-lit, non-blurry photo because once you've posted it you won't get another chance to take a better photo.
Wrap it up securely. Especially if it's fragile (like a sculpture or polymer clay item). Use plenty of bubblewrap - it's fairly cheap and doesn't add much to the postage costs. Write "Don't Open Before Christmas" on the outside if you like! (I've made some stickers that say this that I was going to send out but they haven't turned up yet so we will see.)

Literature (for visual literature, please refer to digital/traditional above as applicable)
Either write it out beautifully by hand or print it out. Decorate it if you like. Make it look like a present! Make sure you have a copy on your computer so you can upload it to dA later but DON'T upload it before 19th Dec! Put it in a hardback envelope (so it doesn't get bent). Write "Don't Open Before Christmas" on the outside if you like! (I've made some stickers that say this that I was going to send out but they haven't turned up yet so we will see.)

3. Posting it
Make sure you've written the address clearly. It's a good idea to put the sender's address on it too in case it gets lost.
Now take it to your Post Office (before the last posting date!) and tell them what country it's going to. They'll weigh it and tell you how much to pay. Then you're all done and you can go home and relax!

Remember not to put it on dA until 19-21 Dec!