Stress-Free Holiday Prep Checklist for Small Business Owners

People are eager to spend more during Christmas, so you have every chance to boost your revenue during the holidays. Read below to ensure that your business is holiday-ready. 

Plan holiday marketing

Plan your Christmas promotions early. Thus, when holiday shopping is in full swing, you’ll already have a structured action plan, which can help you drive sales online and offline. Consider including this in your Christmas marketing strategy: 

1. Plan holiday email marketing. Send out special Christmas emails to inform about holiday deals, special offers, last-minute gift ideas, and shipping details. 
2. Create a content calendar. Plan a posting schedule for Instagram, X, TikTok, or any other social media you use. Showcase your special offers, inform about discounts and best deals, and show your preparation for the holiday season. 
3. Offer giveaways. Advertise contests and giveaways on social media to drive engagement and attract potential buyers. 
4. Introduce daily specials. Offer one product or service at a super attractive price every day. It will encourage customers to visit your website daily to check available deals. 
5. Add loyalty programs. Reward returning customers with additional discounts or an extra gift to boost brand loyalty. 
6. Consider paid ads. If your business is in a highly competitive niche, think about paid ads 1 to 2 weeks before Christmas to attract the buyers’ attention. 

Decorate the space 

Festive decorations in your physical store set a heartwarming holiday mood for shoppers. Whether it’s a coffee shop, an artisan, grocery, or clothing store, Christmas décor creates a better shopping experience and can even encourage people to spend more. According to Deloitte, shopping centers with festive décor experience a 15% growth in sales. 

Here are some budget-friendly ways to decorate your store or salon: 

1. Decorate the entrance with a festive wreath to put shoppers in a holiday mood.
2. Prepare festive displays featuring your best-selling items in the windows and inside the store. 
3. Use garlands, fairy lights, and artificial candles to create an inviting glow and create a festive ambiance. 
4. Encourage your staff to wear holiday items. Even a Santa’s hat, an elf’s jacket, or a holly berry brooch will evoke positive emotions. 
5. Add a small Christmas tree decorated in your brand colors. 

Also Read:

Complete Christmas Prep Checklist For 2025: Your Step-by-Step Guide

Read

Check your website 

As an online store, make sure your website runs smoothly before Christmas. Websites experience peak traffic on holidays, and if something crashes, there will be nobody to fix it. 

1. Test website speed of the web and mobile version of the website for better user experience. 
2. Perform load testing to make sure the website can handle the high traffic. 
3. Review the order and checkout process to ensure that everything works smoothly and there are no 404 errors. 

Offer Christmas-themed goods and services

Update your products or service offerings as the holidays approach. Depending on your niche, you can either offer the same products in holiday packaging, make holiday specials, or offer bundles to stimulate sales. For example, as a cosmetics store, you can offer a “Christmas Night Out” bundle with a scented body wash, shimmering body lotion, and hand cream. As a bakery, you can sell specialty food items that reflect Christmas traditions in different countries. 

Here are some ideas to get you started. 

1. Christmas gift cards – offer cards with different face value and a special holiday design. Cards work perfectly as a last-minute gift.
2. Gift baskets – in addition to ready bundles, offer customized gift baskets with packaging services to let clients pick gifts that work best for their needs. 
3. Service bundles – as a hair salon or massage spa, offer a bundle of services at a discounted price. 
4. Limited products – as a cosmetics company, artisan store, or clothing store, consider creating a Christmas collection with unique prints and flavors. 
5. Use countdowns – time-limited discounts and special offers stimulate customers to make a decision quickly. 

Prepare festive packaging 

Offer festive packaging to your clients so they can get a ready gift after visiting your store. Stock up on boxes, colored wrapping paper, and ribbons to offer packaging customized to your customers’ tastes. Make your customer care shine through in every detail!

Double-check shipping 

Offer convenient and easy-to-understand shipping options for your customers so they don’t worry about delivery delays. Here’s what to keep in mind as an online store: 

1. Determine and communicate shipping deadlines and policies to customers. By delivering products late on Christmas, you are likely to lose a customer for good. 
2. Offer various shipping options: rush delivery at the extra fee and a longer, cheaper option. Thus, your customers will choose what works for them. 
3. Prepare a return policy. Post-Christmas returns are inevitable, so make the process easy and convenient for the customer and yourself. 

Check the inventory 

Don’t leave your inventory to a chance! Analyze the Christmas sales volumes in the previous year and your current sales to predict inventory levels. Stock up on the essential items or materials to meet the increased demand. Order everything early (ideally months in advance) to avoid last-minute delivery delays and other unpleasant surprises. 

Also Read:

10 Things to Do before Year-End: An HR’s Checklist

Read

Sort out your schedule and staffing 

You don’t want the Christmas season to turn into a nightmare because of poor staffing. So, think about it early. 

1. Create a staff schedule to cover late December and early January. Keep things fair – don’t make the same person work in the most festive days. 
2. Plan working hours. If you plan to work more hours than usual before Christmas, think about adjusting schedules and compensation. 
3. Hire people early. If you usually hire seasonal employees, find people in advance, as it might not be possible to find people when the season is in full swing. 

Play Secret Santa with your team to boost morale 

However small or big your team is, Christmas team-building activities can bring everyone closer, spread festive cheer, and increase loyalty. To improve relations in your team, organize a Secret Santa exchange where each person prepares a gift for the assigned coworker anonymously. 

The MySanta app helps organize a gift exchange smoothly, ensuring that each participant gets a present. Here’s how it works. Players join the online game and share their gift preferences. When everyone joins, the system draws names and tracks gift progress. Players can also complete wishlists to let their Santa know what exactly to give them and chat with their Santa anonymously. 

Try our MySanta app

You can create wishlists, add exclusions, and communicate with your gifree secretly. Moreover, there is an option to track gifts and ensure that everyone buys a present on time.

Start

FAQs