Holiday Phone Schedule 2026: Plan It Before Thanksgiving

Plan your holiday phone schedule this week: agree on your closed days, record a greeting for each, and enter every closing in your number's holiday hours. The phones switch to holiday mode and back by themselves, so nobody has to remember on Christmas Eve.

Thanksgiving is two weeks away, on Thursday, November 26. This year the December calendar is friendly to small businesses: Christmas Day and New Year's Day both fall on Fridays. That gives you two clean three-day weekends.

Which Days Go on Your Holiday Phone Schedule?

Start with a list everyone agrees on. A common schedule this season:

• Wednesday, November 25: close early
• Thursday, November 26: closed for Thanksgiving
• Friday, November 27: closed, or open short hours
• Thursday, December 24: close early
• Friday, December 25: closed for Christmas
• Thursday, December 31: close early
• Friday, January 1: closed for New Year's Day

Adjust it for your business. Retailers may extend hours; some offices close the whole week between Christmas and New Year's. Use the same hours on your phones, website, email signature and Google listing.

How Do You Set Holiday Hours on Your Business Phone?

In Telonium, open each phone number and add its holidays. Each one has a name, a first and last day (up to 31 days), all day or set hours, and where calls go: voicemail with a holiday greeting, a recording, a call group or someone's cell. On those dates the regular weekly schedule is switched off for that number. Calls follow the holiday during its hours and the "at all other times" route otherwise.

For this season, that might be "Thanksgiving" (November 26 to 27, all day), "Christmas Eve" (December 24, closed from noon), "Christmas" (December 25, all day), and the same pair for New Year's. A number can hold up to 30 holidays, and past ones are marked in the list. Dates do not repeat by themselves, so next November you add 2027's dates. Last year's post on holiday call routing has more on routing choices.

What Should Your Holiday Greeting Say?

Tell callers when you will reopen:

"Thank you for calling. Our office is closed for Christmas and will reopen Monday, December 28, at 9 a.m. Please leave a message and we will return your call. If this is urgent, press 1."

Because both December holidays fall on Fridays, each greeting can point to the following Monday. A greeting is an audio file (MP3) you record on your phone or computer and upload. Our professional voicemail greeting examples have more wording ideas.

Who Covers Urgent Calls?

If some calls cannot wait until Monday, choose who covers each holiday weekend. Point the holiday at an auto attendant (the "press 1 for…" menu) whose emergency option rings the on-call person's cell through the Telonium app, while everyone else leaves a message. With three holiday weekends, three different people can each take one. Calls they return from the app show your business number.

How Do You Handle the Busy Days?

For many businesses, the days around the holidays are the busiest of the year.

• Use a call queue so callers wait in line with hold music instead of getting voicemail.
• Put your holiday hours and order deadlines in your hold message.
• Add extra people to the call group on the busiest days.
• Check last season's call analytics to see when calls peaked.

How Do You Make the Return Easy?

With voicemail to email, holiday messages arrive in your inbox with the recording attached. When you reopen, forward each one to the right person. Before you leave, make sure shared boxes go to more than one inbox.

Holiday Phone Schedule Checklist

• Agree on holiday hours with your team.
• Record and upload greetings that say when you reopen.
• Add every closing and early close to each number's holiday hours.
• Set an urgent option and an on-call rotation if you need one.
• Update hold messages, and plan to change them back in January.
• Check that shared voicemail goes to the right inboxes.
• Update your website and listings with the same hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Have to Change Anything on Each Holiday?

No. Once a holiday is entered with its dates and hours, it switches on and off by itself, and the regular schedule returns afterward.

Do Holidays Carry Over to Next Year?

No. Each holiday is a one-off date, so add next year's dates when you plan next season.

Who Can Help Me Set It Up?

Our support team is here Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern, at 404-566-8888. You can also browse our frequently asked questions. From all of us at Telonium, enjoy the season.