It’s that time again. The holiday rush is right around the corner, and if you’re anything like most store owners we work with, you’ve got a lot on your plate. Promotions need to be scheduled, inventory needs to be right, your team needs to be ready, and your customers need to get their orders on time. Nobody wants to spend the week before Christmas answering “where’s my package?” emails.
Thanksgiving is on November 26th this year, which is about as late as it gets. That means there are only 24 days between Black Friday and Christmas Eve, so the whole season feels a little shorter than usual. Here are the dates you’ll want on your calendar, along with some tips to help you make the most of each one.
Wednesday, November 25, 2026
Take a deep breath, but don’t get too comfortable. This is your last chance to make sure everything’s buttoned up before the big weekend. Double check your promotions, your stock levels, and provide your customer service reps with as much info as possible so you’re ready for the high volume days ahead. And make sure your email platform is loaded up with those Black Friday campaigns!
Planning Tip: If you use real time inventory, make sure your inventory management system is synced. If you update inventory manually throughout the day, think about doing it more often to keep up with the extra volume. Your Store Wizards has an inventory updater tool for BigCommerce and one for Shopify that makes this a whole lot easier. We also put together a post on bulk updating prices and inventory this holiday season if you’ve got a lot of SKUs to touch.
Thursday, November 26, 2026: Thanksgiving
A day for family, football, and (hopefully) not too much stress. Before you sit down for turkey, make sure your Black Friday emails are scheduled and ready to go out bright and early the next morning. Plenty of shoppers start browsing deals on their phones right after dinner, so there’s nothing wrong with sending your Black Friday email Thursday night.
Planning Tip: Make sure your customer support team is prepped for Black Friday questions. If you’re running Thanksgiving deals, put the details in writing for whoever’s handling calls and emails so everyone’s giving customers the same answer. No shopper wants to deal with a customer service rep who isn’t aware of a certain coupon or promotion. That’s an easy way to quickly lose a sale.
Friday, November 27, 2026: Black Friday
You waited all year for it, and it’s finally here – the official kickoff to holiday shopping! Believe it or not, some folks still brave the crowds at the mall, but a huge chunk of your customers will be on your site looking for the best online deals. Make sure your offers are competitive and easy to find. A lot of stores save their biggest deals for Cyber Monday, but tossing out a few of them early for Black Friday shoppers can really pay off.
Planning Tip: Try early bird specials for people who shop first thing in the morning, then keep the momentum going with flash sales throughout the day. With a premium subscription, our price updater tool for BigCommerce and Shopify lets you schedule price updates in advance, so there’s no need to get up at 4 a.m. to change prices and then remember to come back at 8 a.m. and change them again!
Saturday, November 28, 2026: Small Business Saturday
If you’re a small business, you should be telling your story every day of the year, but on Small Business Saturday it’s time to promote it to the max. Lean into what makes you unique. American Express’ Shop Small campaign is a great one to tap into, and they offer free promotional materials for businesses that accept Amex.
Planning Tip: Tell your story. Customers love knowing there are real people behind the store, and reminding them that shopping small supports a community goes a long way. If you have a brick-and-mortar location, link up with other small businesses near by to cross promote each other. Your local business groups, such as the Chamber of Commerce, may also have events going on for Small Business Saturday as well that you’ll want to tap into.
Monday, November 30, 2026: Cyber Monday
Get ready for what’s always the biggest online sales day of the year. Shoppers are expecting serious deals, so give them promotions that are hard to pass up. Free shipping, gift with purchase offers, and tiered discounts all work well here. Don’t repeat your Black Friday promotion, or run the same old percent-off promotion you run 12 times a year, Cyber Monday is a day to get creative and give shoppers deals that will make them repeat customers.
Planning Tip: Schedule several email campaigns throughout the day, each one featuring a different deal or reminding customers that time’s running out.
Tuesday, December 1, 2026: Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday is all about generosity, and it’s a nice change of pace after a weekend of hard selling. If your store supports a cause, this is a great day to talk about it. Even a simple “we’ll donate a portion of today’s sales” message can build a lot of goodwill.
Planning Tip: Keep it genuine. Pick a cause that actually fits your brand and share the results with your customers afterward.
Monday, December 14, 2026: Green Monday
Green Monday is the second Monday in December, and it’s the last big shopping day for holiday procrastinators. This year it just so happens to land just three days before the main ground shipping cutoffs, so it’s really the last realistic day for customers to order and still have a chance of everything arriving by Christmas. Fingers crossed! Push your last minute deals and last-minute delivery to grab those extra sales.
Planning Tip: Create urgency in your messaging. Lines like “last chance to order for Christmas” work great in email and social posts. Avoid using terms like “guaranteed to arrive before Christmas,” as shipping carriers do get impacted by weather. You may be sitting where it’s warm and sunny, but a snowstorm in Wisconsin, just delayed delivery for three orders by two days. Those customer’s won’t get their orders before Christmas, so avoid using any words that suggest 100% guaranteed delivery by Christmas.
Saturday, December 19, 2026: Super Saturday
The last Saturday before Christmas is a huge day for brick and mortar stores, but online shoppers are out in force too. By now, ground shipping is off the table for most carriers, so this is the day to promote expedited shipping, in store pickup if you offer it, and digital gift cards.
Planning Tip: Swap your homepage banner to focus on fast shipping options and gift cards so last minute shoppers don’t bounce when they realize ground shipping won’t make it in time.
Other Important Dates to Keep in Mind
- Friday, December 4 through Saturday, December 12, 2026: Hanukkah
- Thursday, December 24, 2026: Christmas Eve
- Friday, December 25, 2026: Christmas Day
- Saturday, December 26, 2026 through Friday, January 1, 2027: Kwanzaa
- Thursday, December 31, 2026: New Year’s Eve
- Friday, January 1, 2027: New Year’s Day
Hanukkah starts early this year, so if you sell gifts for the holiday, your customers will need their orders by the first week of December. That’s a full week before Green Monday, so plan those promotions around Thanksgiving weekend instead.
Most shoppers will be done by mid December, but there are always a few stragglers. Don’t forget to offer digital gift cards for anyone who’s cutting it really close. And with both Christmas and New Year’s Day falling on a Friday, you’ll get two long weekends back to back, which is great for post holiday and gift card redemption sales.
2026 Holiday Shipping Deadlines
Carriers are slammed this time of year, so be realistic with your customers about delivery dates. Here are the recommended last days to ship for delivery before Christmas within the lower 48 states:
- FedEx Ground Economy: Tuesday, December 15
- USPS Ground Advantage and First Class Mail: Thursday, December 17
- FedEx Ground and Home Delivery (5 day transit): Thursday, December 17
- USPS Priority Mail: Friday, December 18
- USPS Priority Mail Express: Saturday, December 19
- FedEx Express Saver and UPS 3 Day Select: Monday, December 21
- FedEx 2Day and UPS 2nd Day Air: Tuesday, December 22
- FedEx Overnight and UPS Next Day Air: Wednesday, December 23
Carriers can adjust these dates, so it’s worth a quick look on their websites again in early December.
Planning Tip: Set your own store cutoff a day or two ahead of the carrier deadlines to give your fulfillment team some breathing room. Then display it everywhere: your homepage, product pages, and checkout. Offering expedited shipping is great, but remind customers that ordering early saves them the rush fees.
Staffing Up: More Hands on Deck
As the orders pile up, you’ll want your team to grow with them. Customer service, packing, and fulfillment all get hit hard, so start lining up extra help now if you haven’t already.
Planning Tip: Bring on seasonal help and cross train your current team so people can jump between roles. That flexibility makes a huge difference on your busiest days.
Encourage Early Orders
With a shorter season and busy carriers, getting customers to order early takes a lot of pressure off your fulfillment team. Early bird discounts or free upgrades to priority shipping for early orders are both great motivators.
Keep your newsletters and social posts reminding customers about upcoming sales and shipping cutoffs. And keep a close eye on stock levels so you’re not losing sales to empty shelves. We covered that in more detail in Don’t Let Out of Stock Products Steal Your Holiday Sales.
If you plan around these key dates, staff up early, and stay upfront with customers about shipping, you’ll be set up for a smooth and successful holiday season. It’s a short one this year, so get started now and you’ll head into Black Friday ready for anything!
Scott Sanfilippo began his eCommerce journey in 1994 by co-founding one of the Internet’s first online retailers, TheFerretStore.com, which was acquired by PetCo in 2006. In 2001, he co-founded the eCommerce design and marketing firm Solid Cactus, which was acquired by web.com in 2009. Today, Scott is the General Manager of Your Store Wizards and lives in Delray Beach, FL. Scott can be contacted at scott@yourstorewizards.com.