# Holiday email marketing calendar for 2026 and 2027
> The main ecommerce email moments from November 2026 to October 2027 are Singles’ Day (Nov 11), Black Friday (Nov 27) and Cyber Monday (Nov 30), Christmas, Japan’s New Year sales, Lunar New Year (Feb 6, 2027), Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr (around Feb 8 to Mar 10, 2027), Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day (which varies by country), end-of-season sales and back to school. Plan big sales six to eight weeks ahead and gifting dates three to five weeks ahead.
Canonical: https://tellnod.com/guides/holiday-email-marketing-calendar
Last updated: 2026-10-22
Author: Tellnod team
## How to use this calendar
This calendar covers twelve months of shopping moments, from November 2026 to October 2027, for a direct-to-consumer apparel brand that sells in several countries. The example brand is Ninefold, which sells knitwear, outerwear and basics online. Dates come from government holiday lists and other cited sources, and the article notes where a date is still an estimate.
No shop needs every date. Pick the six to eight moments where your customers actually buy, plan those well, and keep regular newsletters between them. Markets differ: Mother’s Day alone falls in March, May or August depending on the country, so the localized versions of this guide adapt the list to their own market.
## The 12-month holiday email calendar, 2026–2027
| Date | Shopping moment | Main markets | Start planning | Template |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wed, Nov 11, 2026 | Singles’ Day (11.11), the online shopping day Alibaba started in 2009 [S8] | China and Southeast Asia | Early October | [Black Friday sale](https://tellnod.com/templates/black-friday-sale), adapted |
| Fri, Nov 27 and Mon, Nov 30, 2026 | Black Friday and Cyber Monday, after US Thanksgiving on Nov 26 [S1] | US, UK, EU and many online markets | Early October | [Black Friday sale](https://tellnod.com/templates/black-friday-sale), [VIP presale](https://tellnod.com/templates/vip-early-access), [last chance](https://tellnod.com/templates/last-chance) |
| Fri, Dec 25, 2026 | Christmas and end-of-year gifting [S1] | US, UK, EU, Australia and others | Early November | [Holiday gift guide](https://tellnod.com/templates/holiday-gift-guide) |
| From Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | New Year sales and fukubukuro lucky bags, sealed bags of store goods sold from January 1 [S9] | Japan | November | [VIP presale](https://tellnod.com/templates/vip-early-access) for reservations |
| January 2027 | Winter end-of-season sale | Northern hemisphere | Early December | [Last chance](https://tellnod.com/templates/last-chance) |
| Sat, Feb 6, 2027 | Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year falls on Feb 6–7 in Singapore) [S2] | Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Chinese communities worldwide | Late December | [Holiday gift guide](https://tellnod.com/templates/holiday-gift-guide), adapted |
| Around Feb 8 to Mar 10, 2027 | Ramadan, then Eid al-Fitr; both dates depend on moon sighting [S3]. Singapore has gazetted Mar 10 for Hari Raya Puasa [S2] | Indonesia, Malaysia, the Middle East | Early January | [Holiday gift guide](https://tellnod.com/templates/holiday-gift-guide), adapted |
| Sun, Feb 14, 2027 | Valentine’s Day | Most markets | Mid January | [Holiday gift guide](https://tellnod.com/templates/holiday-gift-guide) |
| Sun, Mar 7, 2027 | Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent [S4][S5] | UK and Ireland | Early February | [Mother’s Day](https://tellnod.com/templates/mothers-day) |
| Sun, Mar 21, 2027 | Mother’s Day [S4] | UAE and most Arab countries | Mid February | [Mother’s Day](https://tellnod.com/templates/mothers-day) |
| Sun, May 9, 2027 | Mother’s Day, the second Sunday of May [S6][S4] | US and many other countries | Early April | [Mother’s Day](https://tellnod.com/templates/mothers-day) |
| June to July 2027 | Summer end-of-season sale | Northern hemisphere | May | [Last chance](https://tellnod.com/templates/last-chance) |
| July to August 2027 | Back to school; 62% of US shoppers had started by early July 2026 [S10] | US and Europe | June | [New arrival](https://tellnod.com/templates/new-arrival) |
| Thu, Aug 12, 2027 | Mother’s Day and a public holiday [S7] | Thailand | Early July | [Mother’s Day](https://tellnod.com/templates/mothers-day) |
| Every month | Customer birthdays | All markets | Once, then monthly | [Birthday offer](https://tellnod.com/templates/birthday-offer) |
> The next cycle starts quickly: US Thanksgiving 2027 is Thursday, November 25 [S1], which puts Black Friday on November 26, 2027 and Cyber Monday on November 29, 2027. Ramadan and Eid dates are estimates until they are announced locally, so confirm them a few weeks ahead.
## How far ahead to plan each holiday campaign
Lead time depends less on the size of the holiday than on what has to happen before the email: stock, photography, translation and shipping. Customers also start early. The National Retail Federation counts November and December as the winter holiday season, and for more than a decade at least two in five holiday shoppers have started before November [S11].
| Type of moment | Start planning | Opening email | What takes the time |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Big sales (Black Friday, Singles’ Day) | 6–8 weeks before | 7–10 days before, as a teaser | Offer and margin decisions, stock, list hygiene |
| Gift dates (Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day) | 4–6 weeks before | 2–3 weeks before, with shipping cutoffs | Gift guide photography, delivery dates by country |
| Cultural holidays (Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Eid) | 6–8 weeks before | 1–3 weeks before | Local imagery, translation, a native-speaker review |
| End-of-season sales | 3–4 weeks before | On the day | Choosing which stock to clear |
For gift dates, the deciding date is your last shipping day, not the holiday. Put it in the subject line or the opening sentence of the email, and plan a final “order by” reminder two or three days before it.
## Which email template fits each moment
- **Sales events** (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Singles’ Day, end-of-season): announce with the [Black Friday sale template](https://tellnod.com/templates/black-friday-sale), give loyal customers a head start with the [VIP presale template](https://tellnod.com/templates/vip-early-access), and close with the [last chance template](https://tellnod.com/templates/last-chance). The [Black Friday email marketing guide](https://tellnod.com/guides/black-friday-email-marketing) covers the full sequence.
- **Gift dates** (Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Lunar New Year, Eid): use the [holiday gift guide template](https://tellnod.com/templates/holiday-gift-guide), grouped by price, with delivery dates at the top.
- **Mother’s Day in each market:** the [Mother’s Day template](https://tellnod.com/templates/mothers-day) includes a way to opt out of the reminders, which matters for people for whom the day is difficult.
- **Birthdays:** a monthly send with the [birthday offer template](https://tellnod.com/templates/birthday-offer) to customers whose birthday falls in that month. It needs a birthday field collected with consent.
## Adapting the calendar by market
A single global send on one date rarely fits everyone. Ninefold, for example, would run three separate Mother’s Day campaigns in 2027: March 7 for the UK [S5], May 9 for the US and other second-Sunday markets [S6], and August 12 for Thailand [S7]. Each goes to a [segment](https://tellnod.com/glossary#segment) of contacts by country.
- **Segment by country or shipping address,** not by the language of the email alone. Delivery cutoffs and prices differ by country.
- **Respect the tone of religious and cultural holidays.** For Ramadan and Eid, lead with gifting and family occasions rather than countdown discounts, and have someone from the market review the copy and imagery.
- **Watch the overlaps.** In 2027, Lunar New Year, the start of Ramadan and Valentine’s Day all fall within nine days in February. Choose the one that matters most to each market instead of sending all three.
- **Use local formats in Japan.** New Year is the major retail moment, and lucky bags are sold from January 1 [S9]. A reservation email in December fits better than a Black Friday-style discount.
## Avoiding fatigue across a year of holidays
A calendar full of moments can turn into a calendar full of discounts. Mailbox providers also notice uneven sending: Google asks senders to keep a consistent rate and avoid bursts [S12]. Three habits keep the year sustainable:
1. Keep a regular newsletter rhythm between holidays, so peak weeks are a step up rather than a spike. See [how often to send marketing emails](https://tellnod.com/guides/how-often-to-send-marketing-emails).
2. Alternate offers with content: a styling guide in October, a gift guide in December, a care guide in January.
3. Send each holiday email only to the markets and segments it fits, and check unsubscribe and [spam complaint rates](https://tellnod.com/glossary#spam-complaint-rate) after every campaign.
## Planning the calendar with Claude or ChatGPT
With Tellnod connected to Claude or ChatGPT, you can turn a row of this calendar into a campaign in one conversation. For example:
- “Draft a Mother’s Day gift guide for UK customers, three price bands, order by March 3. Schedule it for February 22 at 10 am.”
- “Make a version for US customers for May 9, with an order-by date of May 4.”
- “Email customers whose birthday is in December with a 10% birthday gift on knitwear.”
Each draft appears as a desktop and mobile preview, and you can send yourself a test. When it is ready, Tellnod shows an [approval card](https://tellnod.com/glossary#approval-card) with the recipient count, exclusions and schedule. Segments are described in plain words, such as “subscribed customers in the UK”, as long as your contacts include a country. You approve every send, and a scheduled campaign can be cancelled until it goes out, so you can plan several weeks ahead.
> Recurring sends such as monthly birthday emails are campaigns you approve each month today; automated flows are planned. Plans and contact limits are on the [pricing page](https://tellnod.com/pricing), and you can add Tellnod from the [connect page](https://tellnod.com/connect).
## FAQ
### How far in advance should I plan holiday email campaigns?
Start six to eight weeks ahead for big sales such as Black Friday and for cultural holidays that need translation and local imagery. Four to six weeks is enough for gift dates such as Mother’s Day, as long as the email goes out before your last shipping day.
### Is Mother’s Day on the same date in every country?
No. In 2027 it is March 7 in the UK (Mothering Sunday), March 21 in the UAE and most Arab countries, May 9 in the US and many other countries, and August 12 in Thailand.
### When is Black Friday in 2026 and 2027?
Black Friday is November 27, 2026 and November 26, 2027, the day after US Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday follows on November 30, 2026 and November 29, 2027.
### How many holidays should a small online shop plan emails for?
Six to eight a year is enough for most small shops. Choose the moments where your customers buy, usually one or two big sales, two or three gift dates and your end-of-season sales, and keep regular newsletters in between.
## Sources
- [S1] U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal holidays: (checked 2026-10-22)
- [S2] Ministry of Manpower Singapore: Public holidays: (checked 2026-10-22)
- [S3] The National: When is Ramadan 2027? Potential dates announced for the UAE: (checked 2026-10-22)
- [S4] The National: When is Mother’s Day 2026? Why dates are different around the world: (checked 2026-10-22)
- [S5] Office Holidays: Mothering Sunday in United Kingdom in 2027: (checked 2026-10-22)
- [S6] 36 U.S. Code § 117: Mother’s Day: (checked 2026-10-22)
- [S7] Nation Thailand: Cabinet confirms August 12 as annual national holiday in Thailand: (checked 2026-10-22)
- [S8] Wikipedia: Singles’ Day: (checked 2026-10-22)
- [S9] Time Out Tokyo: Fukubukuro 101, a basic guide to the lucky bag: (checked 2026-10-22)
- [S10] NRF: Back-to-school data and trends: (checked 2026-10-22)
- [S11] NRF: Winter holiday FAQs: (checked 2026-10-22)
- [S12] Google Workspace Admin Help: Email sender guidelines: (checked 2026-10-22)