Coming up

What to post at Christmas

Your Christmas deadline isn't the 25th, it's your last order or appointment before it. Count down to that, and the whole month gets simpler.

Fri 25 Dec 2026the date 89 days to gofrom today 24 daysthe run-up
Pick your days and we write your own guide. Your first plan is free.
The run-up

Every day between now and then that is worth a post

Not one a day. These are the ones that do a job. What each is for is underneath it.

Tue 1 Dec 24 days before Set your real deadline Work out the last day someone can order, book or collect in time, and build the month around that date rather than the 25th. Then say it, early and often. Write this one →
Sun 6 Dec 19 days before Three gifts, real prices, real photos Pick three things that make good presents and post them with honest prices and your own pictures. You're rescuing someone from the panic of not knowing what to buy. Write this one →
Fri 11 Dec 14 days before The deadline post Name your cut-off plainly: the last day for orders, or your last free slot before Christmas. A firm date does more than any amount of "get in soon". Write this one →
Tue 15 Dec 10 days before Pin your opening hours Put your Christmas and New Year hours into one clear image and pin it to the top. Half your holiday messages will be people asking exactly this. Write this one →
Sat 19 Dec 6 days before Show the making, not the shelf The wrapping, the prep, the workroom mid-flow. A glimpse behind the counter is worth far more now than another photo of a tidy display. Write this one →
Wed 23 Dec 2 days before Last call, if it's true One honest "last chance" post, and only if it genuinely is. Say what's left and when you close; a real limit lands, a made-up one gets remembered. Write this one →
Fri 25 Dec The day Christmas Day: just say thanks Post one warm thank-you with nothing to buy. A quiet, genuine word today is what people remember when they're choosing where to go come January. Write this one →
The idea most businesses miss

A real deadline does the work

Robert Cialdini's research on scarcity is simple: people move for the things that are genuinely running out or about to close. A vague "order soon" is easy to ignore; "last orders Thursday" is not. Give people one true, dated cut-off and you've handed them their reason to act.

Robert Cialdini, psychologist, author of Influence · Robert Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Questions

The questions people ask

When should I start posting about Christmas?
The start of December is plenty for most trades. Work back from your last order or appointment date and give yourself a clear fortnight of warning on it.
Isn't a "thank you" on Christmas Day a wasted post?
The opposite. It's the one day to sell nothing at all, and a sincere thank-you is what people carry into the new year when they pick where to spend.
I'm fully booked. Should I still post?
Yes, say you're full and thank people for it. It shows you're worth booking early next time, and it's kinder than going quiet.

The other dates worth the effort

Sat 5 Dec 2026 Small Business Saturday 69 days to go This is the one day where the whole point is you. Don't waste it on a markdown, spend it turning today's goodwill into people who come back. 6 posts to make → Sat 26 Dec 2026 Boxing Day 90 days to go It lands on a Saturday, so plenty are out and about; a warm, easy invitation does well. 5 posts to make → Everything else The whole calendar The rest of this year and all of next, with the British ones in the right place. Open the calendar →