Passport help

I think you're fine renewing now. Otherwise, what would be the point of the State Depts. last minute/expedited passports for people leaving much sooner than March? I've never heard of 6 months prior, only the requirement that it be valid for at least 6 months after.

I have never heard of having to have a passport valid for 6 months before your trip. Many people get passports at the last minute, so I don't see how that could be a thing.

You are fine getting your passport renewed now. I did it by mail earlier this year and it took less than 2 weeks without any kind of "rush."

You are OK.
If you are a USA citizen you do not need a passport to be valid 6 months prior to departing the countries you say you are going to i.e. the UK, France and Italy.

Renew now. You'll have your new passport in a few weeks. Problem solved. Easy peasey.

If only all of life's crises could be so easily solved...

Thank you, fellow travelers. I appreciate the quick responses and reassurance. Can't wait to travel.

Mailed ours for renewal on August 24th from Oregon. Received them about 3 weeks later. Do it now and no worries, never heard of the 6 months prior to departing. Have a great trip.

The six-month requirement is that your passport must be valid for six months beyond the date that you would return (not the six months before you travel). So, if you are traveling March 2019, your passport would still need to be valid until at least Sept. 2019.

Renew it now, and you will be fine.

For Schengen countries (including France and Italy), the requirement is that your passport is valid for 3 months after your planned exit date. Since you can stay in these countries for 90 days, that makes (worst case) 6 months from your arrival.
This is the official info from the EU here: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-nationals/index_en.htm

For the UK, your passport must be valid "for the whole of your say", see here (UK government website): https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control/before-you-leave-for-the-uk

Note, it is not the US that sets these rules, it is the countries involved. Any info on a US government site is 2nd hand heresay, and may be incorrect.
In practice, if you are flying into the country, the airline checks your passport at check-in, and will not let you on the flight if they think your passport is not valid. There have been cases of untrained airport staff refusing passports which are in fact valid.

Nothing to add to Chris's post... just to insist on his last advice to avoid fellow visitors unpleasant surprises.

Note, it is not the US that sets these rules, it is the countries involved. Any info on a US government site is 2nd hand heresay, and may be incorrect.

Also to mention that this is a very fluid issue (travel requirements) and one must always check UPDATED information AT the horse's mouth, not at a third-party AND that the information that's ultimately correct is always at the destination's official sites. Hopefully, but not always so, it matches the information provided by the country of origin.

Can anyone put my mind at ease?

Listen to David. It's spot on advice.

Renew now. You'll have your new passport in a few weeks. Problem
solved. Easy peasey.

If only all of life's crises could be so easily solved...

This.

In addition, in the application, select the 52 page passport as it's the same price as the smaller one. Some visas can take up a whole page so why not?