Last-Minute Christmas Email Marketing Tactics You Can Set Up In a Day

Can you hear the bells ringing? Yes, it’s that time of year again, but instead of cheerful Christmas music, marketers tend to experience a kind of buzzing sound in their heads during this busy season. December often catches us off guard because it arrives quickly. We’re still recovering from the autumn campaigns, when people shake off their summer haze, and from Black Friday, which, of course, occurs just before Christmas. That’s why it would be especially welcome to get a little Christmas email marketing help from the North Pole, as the big man in red would remind us, “Fret not, my festive friends!” 

To add a bit of Advent-season cheer, we’re gifting you some last-minute Christmas campaign ideas and tips to help ease the holiday stress. Let’s start unwrapping! 

It’s December — But You’re Not Too Late

First, let’s acknowledge reality:

• Inboxes are crowded.
• Time is short.
• Your team might feel like you’re already behind.

The truth is, you’re not alone – many marketers feel the end-of-year overwhelm. And the good news? You’re not too late. There is still plenty you can implement in under a day that makes a significant impact on your Christmas email marketing, especially if you focus on efficiency, simplicity, and what really matters in the final weeks. 

Here’s a quick, helpful mindset shift:

• You don’t need a 24-email Advent calendar.
• You don’t need to redesign your templates from scratch.
• You do need a few smart automations, micro-campaigns, and segments that work hard for you.
  

1. Quick-Build Automation Workflows You Can Set Up in Under an Hour

If you’re short on time, automation is your best little helper-elf. Here are a few workflows you can build quickly and let them run while you sip your mulled wine.

a) Holiday-Urgency Abandoned Cart Sequence

Turn your existing abandoned cart flow into a festive, urgency-driven lifesaver:

• Add countdown-style copy:
  “Only a few sleeps left until Christmas delivery 🎄”
• Include shipping cut-off alerts:
  “Order in the next 6 hours for guaranteed delivery before Christmas Eve.”
• Create an optional “extreme rush” version for the final days:
  • Focus on digital products, gift cards, click-and-collect, or in-store pickup.
  • Keep copy short, punchy, and focused on “still time!”.
    

This doesn’t require a complete rebuild — just seasonal subject lines, deadline blocks, and a small twist of Christmas urgency.

b) Instant Product-Recommendation Emails

Use your existing data to auto-pull:

• Best sellers
• Staff picks
• Last-minute gifts (small, shippable, easy to wrap, or digital)

You can turn this into a quick “Gifts in a hurry” email:

• Subject line: “Still need gifts? We’ve got you.”
• Content: One block per recommendation (“For your foodie friend”, “For the tech lover”, etc.), pulled from existing product data.

With tools like Smaily, you can reuse product blocks and content you already have – no need for a brand-new design sprint.

c) One-Email Gift-Deadline Reminder Flow

If you really don’t have time to build a full flow, create one high-urgency email that automatically sends to:

• Active shoppers
• Recent browsers
• Engaged subscribers who haven’t bought yet

Key ingredients:

• Dynamic shipping deadline banner (“Order by 20 December for Christmas delivery”)
• Clear call-to-action (“Shop last-minute gifts”)
• Option for those who are too late: gift cards or digital products

If you don’t have time to build full campaigns, the next best thing is a micro-campaign built in a single afternoon.

2. Build a Christmas Micro-Campaign When You’re Out of Time

How to make click-worthy campaigns in a minute? That sounds like an undeliverable idea… but a micro-campaign gets you surprisingly close. 

a) The 2-Email Blitz

Keep it simple and focused:

1. Email 1 – The Offer
   • Introduce your Christmas or end-of-year offer.
   • Make the benefit crystal clear: discount, free shipping, bundle, bonus gift, etc.
2. Email 2 – The Deadline Reminder
   • Shorter, sharper, fully focused on urgency:
     
     • “Last day to order for Christmas”
     • “Ends tonight”
   • Reuse the same design – just tweak the copy and the countdown.

This two-step combo keeps your Christmas email marketing agile and impactful, without needing a long series. Make sure to keep these emails brief, as shorter emails tend to be more successful anyway. 

b) A Short, Story-Driven Holiday Message

In a crowded inbox full of discounts, a simple, human story is often your best pattern breaker.

Ideas:

• A short note from the founder about the year’s journey.
• Behind-the-scenes content, like a look at how your team prepares for the holidays.
• A “thank you” message to customers, with a small surprise (e.g., a modest discount, free download, or early access). 

No long copy needed, just a genuine message that feels like it was written for people, not algorithms.

c) One Simple Seasonal Segmentation Trick

If you only have time for one segmentation move, try this:

• Opened in November, but didn’t buy – Show them a slightly stronger offer or gift-focused angle.
• Clicked but didn’t convert – Nudge them with social proof or reminders about shipping deadlines.
• Past seasonal buyers – Target them with “back again this year” offers and relevant products.

3. Stand Out in a Fatigued Holiday Inbox (Without More Noise)

Let’s be honest: email marketing fatigue is real, especially around the holidays. Many subscribers feel overwhelmed — and you can feel it in your metrics too.

If you want more ideas on this topic, we’ve written a full guide on how to overcome email marketing fatigue. But here are a few fast “inbox fatigue busters” you can apply right now to make Christmas email marketing feel a little lighter.

a) Use Non-Christmas Subject Lines During Christmas

Yes, really. When every subject line is “Merry this” and “Festive that”, a simple, unexpected subject can stand out:

• “This might help with your last-minute gifting”
• “For the person who has everything”
• “A tiny time-saver for you”

Humor, curiosity, and understatement can all act as pattern interrupts or breaks that draw the eye in a sea of Christmas emojis.

b) Under-Used Inbox Fatigue Busters to Try

Sprinkle in a few of these:

• Send from a real person, not just the brand
  • “Anna from [Brand]” or “Siim at [Brand]” feels more personal.
• Plain-text holiday messages
  • Looks like a real email, not a mass campaign.
  • Great for thank-you notes, year-in-review messages, and exclusive early access.
• “Gift ideas based on what you browsed” (not just the calendar)
  • Instead of generic “Christmas gifts”, use actual browsing or category interest.
  • Feels helpful rather than pushy: “Spotted you looking at skincare sets…”

If you’re really pressed for time, don’t create new content at all – reuse what you’ve already published.

4. Turn Existing Content Into Christmas Emails – Fast

Recycling is not just good for the planet; it’s excellent for your December sanity. You can transform your current content library into Christmas email marketing in record time.

a) Blog Posts → Gift Guides

Take your existing blog posts and reframe them as festive guides:

• “Our top productivity tips” → “Gifts for the productivity-obsessed”.
• “How to build a home gym” → “Perfect gifts for fitness lovers”.

Your email can say: “We’ve gathered our top tips and turned them into your perfect holiday picks.”

b) Testimonials → Holiday Social Proof

We could even say that happy customers make excellent elves. 

• Pull your best customer testimonials and reviews.
• Present them as “What customers like you loved as gifts last year” or “What our community is gifting this season”.

This saves copywriting time and adds trust when people are nervously hitting “order”, in order to gift someone they love. 

c) Product Pages → Top 5 Gift Lists 

You don’t need brand new creative work:

• Use existing product photos.
• Pull the main benefits or bullet points already written on product pages.
• Turn them into a “Top 5 Gifts Under €X” or “Top Picks for Homebodies / Foodies / Travelers”. 

Zero creative work needed – just smart repackaging.

5. Christmas Segmentation for Jolly Procrastinators and Other Christmas-Specific Groups

A reliable way to make your messaging feel more personal is through segmentation. With all kinds of Christmas shoppers browsing for gifts, it plays an especially meaningful role by serving them recommendations that truly fit their needs. And it doesn’t need to be complicated for you, either. 

Remember, marketers aren’t the only people who are busy during the Christmas season – many are rushing to buy last-minute gifts, and what’s especially encouraging for you is that they’re counting on your messages, too.

Focus on fast, high-value segments that make your messages more relevant without adding hours of work. 

Here are some quick-win segments for Christmas email marketing:

• Last-minute shoppers
  • People who buy close to big dates or respond to urgency emails.
  • Offer them clear delivery info and “fast gifts” (digital, gift cards, click & collect).
• Opened but didn’t click in November
  • They noticed you, but didn’t act.
  • Try a stronger hook, a different subject line style, or a clearer value proposition.
• Holiday-only purchasers
  • Customers who typically buy during major holidays (Christmas, Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, etc.).
  • Show them your “holiday specials” or repeat-favorite products.
• “Gift for self” buyers for post-Christmas
  • People who buy for themselves during sales.
  • Target them with post-Christmas and New Year deals: “Treat yourself now that the rush is over”.
• People celebrating beyond Christmas
  • New Year’s Eve, early January gatherings, winter sales, and back-to-work needs, etc.
    

➡️ The festive season doesn’t end with December 24–26. New Year gatherings, post-holiday sales, late family celebrations, and office parties in early January – people continue gifting, hosting, and buying well into the first half of January. That means your Christmas email marketing window is bigger than December 24–26; people continue with the festivities easily into the first half of January.

So, this gives you a perfect opportunity for: 

• “New Year, new you” campaigns
• “Didn’t get what you wanted? Treat yourself” emails
• “Winter essentials” and “Back-to-work” offers

6. Christmas Personalization That Doesn’t Require New Data

Personalization doesn’t have to mean complex new tracking or huge data projects. You can create warmer, smarter emails simply by using what you already know. 

a) Past Purchases → Smart Gift Recommendations

Use previous orders to suggest:

• Complementary items (e.g., accessories, refills, add-ons).
• Upgrades (premium versions of something they bought before).
• Multipacks or bundles framed as gifts.

Example angle: “Last year you loved our [Product]. This year, here’s the perfect matching gift.”

b) Browsing Behavior → “Still Looking?” Emails

Another quick-win tactic is to use your customers’ browsing behavior with timely, targeted emails. This is ideal for last-minute shoppers. 

• Target people who browsed specific categories but didn’t buy.
• Show them a small selection of highly relevant products, not the whole store.
• Combine with deadline reminders to encourage action.

Short, helpful, and timely – just what December shoppers need to ease their stress.

c) Loyalty Status → Exclusive December Perks

Now, here’s a group of customers who are definitely on the “nice list”, and while it’s always important to make them feel appreciated and valued, Christmas is the best time of year to do so. 

What you could offer your most loyal customers: 

• Early access to Christmas collections or New Year launches.
• Free shipping for loyalty members. 
• Extensions on shipping deadlines or special pickup options.
• Loyalty discounts at your online store. 

You can position this as: “A little thank-you for being with us this year.”

These small, thoughtful perks require minimal setup but go a long way in making your loyal customers feel truly seen during the busiest time of the year. 

Your Gift From Us: Use Our Checklist 🎁

To make your next send even smoother, we’ve wrapped up a little practical present:

👉 Email Marketing Pre-Deployment Checklist (interactive PDF)

Use it to:

• Double-check links, images, and subject lines
• Ensure segmentation and personalization are set correctly
• Avoid last-minute “oops” moments before hitting send
• …and much more!

Keep it handy on your desktop for the entire festive season, and beyond.

Conclusion: Your Christmas Email Marketing Will Be Merry and Bright

Christmas email marketing doesn’t have to mean sleepless nights, endless redesigns, and complicated journeys. With:

• A few quick automations
• Simple micro-campaigns
• Smart segmentation and personalization
• And a bit of content repurposing

…you can create click-worthy, conversion-friendly campaigns in far less time than you think, and calmly go enjoy the festivities yourself too.

“Worry not, dear sender – a thoughtful email finds its way down every inbox chimney.”— Old Saint Nick, chuckling

We wish you successful Christmas campaigns — and, most importantly, a peaceful, joyful holiday season! ✨