2009 holiday shipping deadlines, all in one place

Like it or not, the holidays approach.

And while anyone can run to Walgreen's to procure an emergency Christmas gift for a beloved niece on December 24th, those who prefer shopping online generally have to plan a bit farther in advance.

Think I'm being all Virgo and jumping the gun on holiday shopping? Not so: At least one major online merchant's deadline for packages to arrive before Christmas is December 8, a mere 19 days away. Many more merchants have December 10 or 11 as their earliest cutoff date, giving you just three weeks to get your orders in.

Figuring out when shipping deadlines arrive isn't the easiest thing to do, as many sites aren't completely up front about their policies and deadlines. You may not realize you've missed the standard shipping deadline until you've already entered your credit card information, requiring a sudden and expensive upgrade to expedited or even overnight shipping. It's practically extortion.

Thank heavens for Dealhack, which has put together this exhaustive and handy guide of shipping deadlines for 170 online retailers. From 1-800 Contacts (stocking stuffer, perhaps?) to Zappos, Dealhack clearly and simply outlines the standard, expedited, and "fastest" shipping deadlines (sometimes down to the hour) for each retailer, whether orders can be shipped to APO/FPO addresses (and when you have to order for them), deadlines for physical and electronic gift cards, and even customer service phone numbers and additional notes for issues like when extra processing time is required, whether there are available discounts, and if there are exceptions for large items. Best of all it's all on one handy web page, no clicking required.

Get the full list here -- and might I recommend a bookmark?