Shipping policy

The Short Version

• Most orders ship within 24 hours (Monday–Friday) — even during peak season. Most orders placed before 12pm Central ship the same day.
• Expedited orders (overnight, 2-day air) jump the line and ship the same day when placed before 10am Central.
• Delivery dates are the carrier's estimates, not our promise — order early for the holidays.
• We ship to the United States and its territories only. No PO Boxes.

Processing Times

Most orders ship within 24 hours, Monday through Friday — and yes, that includes our busy season. Most orders placed before 12pm Central ship the same day. Orders aren't processed or shipped on weekends, holidays, or during weather severe enough to keep our crew home. During the last week of the year, expect longer processing times than usual.

Expedited orders (overnight and 2-day air) are prioritized and ship the same day when placed before 10am Central.

Wireframe displays are the exception. Every wireframe is handmade to order, which can add up to 21 days or more of production time before shipping. From October through December, production can reach 8–12 weeks — if you need a display lit by Thanksgiving, order early in the season.

Delivery Estimates

Once your order leaves our warehouse, delivery timing belongs to the carrier. Any delivery date shown at checkout, in tracking, or anywhere else is the carrier's estimate — not a guarantee. Weather, peak-season volume, and carrier hiccups happen, so we encourage ordering ahead of when you need your lights.

Shipping Rates

Simple: we pass through the real-time rates the carriers give us. Overnight and 2-day expedited shipping are available for most items — but not for custom items, wireframe displays, or anything that ships freight.

From time to time we run free shipping promotions. Not all items qualify, and orders shipping outside the continental United States (including Hawaii, Alaska, and U.S. territories) don't qualify for free shipping promotions.

Where We Ship

We ship to the United States and its outlying territories — including Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For Hawaii, Alaska, and the territories, every available method (including expedited) shows at checkout, with any applicable duty, tariff, and tax prepaid.

We don't ship internationally. Wireframe displays ship only within the continental United States. If we make manual arrangements for a special shipment, we'll quote timing case by case.

PO Boxes

We can't deliver to PO Boxes. If a PO Box is entered at checkout, the package will most likely come back to us — at that point we'll either refund the product amount minus the outbound and return shipping costs, or reship it to a street address once the reshipping cost is covered. Save us both the round trip: use a street address.

Title & Risk Of Loss

Your order ships via UPS, USPS, or another carrier we select. Title and risk of loss pass to you when we hand the package to the carrier (all orders ship FOB shipping point). Shipping insurance isn't included automatically — if you'd like your order insured, contact us at help@thechristmaslightemporium.com before it ships and we'll confirm the arrangement. Without that confirmation, insurance isn't in place.

Returns

Return shipping is covered in our refund policy — the short of it: we cover the return label on exchange and store-credit returns from the continental U.S. within 60 days (exchanges ship free both ways — outbound on the new item is on us too), and refund-return labels are deducted from the refund. Start any return at our returns center.