12 Holiday Email Examples And Templates To Engage Subscribers [2026]
Published By Alexandra Marinaki
December 4, 2025
04/12/25
What makes a holiday campaign truly stand out? This question troubles many marketers during the busy holiday seasons. Inboxes get so crowded with special offers and season’s greetings that grabbing your subscribers’ attention feels like solving a riddle.
In this guide, we’ll share compelling holiday email examples from notable brands that have found a great formula to boost their holiday email performance. Learn why they’re unique and find professionally-designed, pre-made templates to craft your own email marketing campaigns.
Why You Should Include Holiday Emails In Your Strategy
People spend more during holidays. According to the NRF, per-person holiday season spending in 2025 is expected to reach $890. Considering that email has a significant ROI, with a return of $36 for every dollar spent, leaving this channel out of your strategy would be a heavy loss.
Let’s explore the main benefits of holiday email campaigns:
- Boost brand awareness: The popularity of these emails lets you show your contacts what your brand is made of, by sharing everything from relevant gift recommendations to warm wishes.
- Increase customer loyalty: Sending meaningful and relevant emails to customers can strengthen your relationships during periods when people are most likely to connect with their favorite brands.
- Grow seasonal sales: Product recommendations, holiday gift guides, and unique deals, especially when they’re personalized, can increase your sales during high shopping seasons.
- Drive traffic to your website: Holiday email content that leads users to your website and product pages boosts your sales and familiarizes them with your brand and products.
Ready to load your email marketing calendar with holiday emails to reap these benefits?
Top Holiday Email Examples and Why They Stand Out
Dive into these email examples from popular holidays throughout the year to optimize your holiday email marketing strategy. Learn why they work and replicate some of these ideas:
1. New Year’s Day emails
New Year’s emails show customers and contacts that you wish to interact with them on this meaningful date. Sending “Happy New Year” wishes, sharing resolutions, or promoting your best products can help you connect more deeply with your customers and set the stage for a great year ahead.
Here’s a great email example from OLIPOP showcasing some of their last year’s milestones:
Subject line: Our LAST Email EVER*
Why it works:
- The attention-grabbing New Year subject line stands out from similar campaigns, boosting open rates.
- They expressed their appreciation for their customers’ support and listed three impressive milestones they hit last year.
- Even though it’s not a salesy email, they added a call-to-action leading to their website in case someone wanted to stock up for next year.
Ready to craft your own New Year’s email? This festive template is all you need to send your subscribers your warmest wishes:
Pro tip: Focus on reflection rather than aggressive sales. Express your sincere gratitude and use a soft call-to-action to encourage engagement, not instant sales.
2. Valentine’s Day newsletters
We all know the importance of February 14, both for consumers and marketers. To join this love quest, give customers gift ideas for their loved ones or promote relevant Valentine’s Day marketing initiatives (e.g., BOGO offers, self-care recommendations).
It’s best to send those campaigns at the end of January or the beginning of February to ensure gifts can be ordered and delivered on time, especially for eCommerce. Or send last-minute emails with gift cards to subscribers who haven’t purchased yet.
This is an amazing V-Day email example from Clinique:
Subject line: Our top Valentine’s Gifts 💝 Share the love
Why it works:
- The best-selling products at the top, combined with a captivating image, grab subscribers’ attention at a glance.
- The customer testimonials next to the product recommendations build credibility and trust.
- The “picked these for you” section adds a personal touch to this campaign.
Celebrate the season of love with this lovable yet straightforward design that can clearly demonstrate your products:
Relevant resources:
- Top Valentine’s Statistics & Facts For Marketers
- Valentine’s Day Email Subject Lines Customers Love
- Unconventional Valentine’s Email Campaigns
- February Email Planner
3. International Women’s Day campaigns
On March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day. Many brands seize the opportunity to honor their female customers by sharing limited-time sales, motivational messages, or product recommendations. You should join them, especially if your products or services are made for them.
Check out this amazing Women’s Day example from Everlane:
Subject line: It’s International Women’s Day
Why it works:
- They showcased and honored powerful women from their team to celebrate this special day.
- They found a clever way to promote their clothes without sounding salesy by placing “Shop her look” CTA buttons.
- The shared quotes are inspiring, covering various facets of female strengths and opinions.
Similarly, you can use this pre-made eCommerce newsletter to delight women on this special day:
4. Easter email newsletters
The average Easter spending was expected to reach $23.6B in 2025. Leverage this trend by targeting your audience with holiday-themed emails. This is especially relevant for eCommerce, retailers, and food and beverage businesses offering Easter products or services.
Here’s an amazing Easter email campaign from Little Sleepies based on this holiday theme:
Subject line: JUST HATCHED: The Cutest Easter Jammies 🐰💜
Why it works:
- The Easter-themed subject line uses clever wordplay to instantly grab readers’ attention.
- The product images at the top spread the holiday cheer and are likely to bring customers to checkout.
- User-generated content serves as social proof, inviting users to join the community.
Combine this template with an Easter-themed subject line to boost your holiday sales:
Pro tip: Leverage the playful nature of Easter by incorporating pastel colors, bunny imagery, and engaging seasonal humor into your designs to capture attention.
5. Pride Month emails
June is the official Pride Month. Many brands support the LGBTQIA+ community by sending dedicated email campaigns with ally messages or showcasing products perfect for the community.
Before sending this campaign, ensure your initiative is proactive and not performative. Stand up for this cause throughout the year, not just in June. If you cross that line, your initiative will backfire.
Here’s how Happy Socks delivered their own Pride marketing message:
Subject line: Don’t Miss Pride Month!
Why it works:
- The subject line instills urgency and FOMO to boost open rates.
- The colorful design elements and product images immediately highlight the Pride theme.
- The discount block at the bottom rewards engaged users with an offer.
Here’s a colorful Pride Month template to design your own campaign:
6. Labor Day emails
The first Monday of September marks Labor Day, as celebrated in the US and Canada. It’s the perfect opportunity for your brand to honor the dedication and hard work of the labor force. Connect with your audience in these regions, and share specific deals.
For example, Freaks of Nature delivered a Labor Day email to prepare their contacts for their holiday getaway:
Subject line: Labor Day Plans? Don’t Forget This
Why it works:
- The subject line reflects the email’s purpose and induces FOMO.
- The call-to-action button and copy are very effective.
- Social proof, in the form of testimonials and best-selling info, boosts sales.
Red and blue are a popular color combination for this holiday, making this template a great fit:
Pro tip: Use Labor Day to promote quick getaways, end-of-season clearance, or final outdoor gear deals focusing entirely on autumn/winter products.
7. Halloween emails
Halloween kicks off the popular year-end holiday shopping season. In 2025, the average spend per person is expected to reach $114.45, so if you offer related products, don’t miss this opportunity. Plus, this holiday leaves plenty of room for creativity for all brands interested in engaging their audience in a unique, spooky way.
Here’s a great Halloween email example from NOOCI:
Subject line: 🎃 30% OFF: Sustained energy > sugar rush
Why it works:
- The Halloween-themed design and wordplay entice readers to keep reading.
- The social proof leverages the importance of trust to boost seasonal sales.
- The emoji and discount code in the subject line are perfectly delivered to increase open rates.
Customize this creepy-looking template to spook your audience during Halloween. You can also use your own images to create a simpler version:
Relevant resources:
8. International Men’s Day email campaigns
After celebrating women earlier in the year, let’s not forget about the great men in our lives. On November 19, we honor their positive value by showing them our love and appreciation.
This email campaign from Funky Buddha is the perfect example:
Subject line: 🎉Happy International Men’s Day with a gift for you!
Why it works:
- The subject line gets readers straight to the topic, making it easy to open.
- The flash sale and countdown timer create a sense of urgency for subscribers.
- The special offer information is clearly stated to avoid confusing readers.
Customize this template and deliver a great campaign for Men’s Day, perfect for eCommerce:
Pro tip: Ensure your email messaging is sensitive and aligns with the appreciative spirit of each international day.
9. Thanksgiving emails
Thanksgiving occurs on the fourth Thursday of November. It’s the perfect opportunity to express your gratitude to your customers for their trust and support. Send heartfelt messages and consider combining them with special offers or gifts for their loved ones.
Athletic Brewing stayed loyal to the holiday theme by using orange for the design.
Subject line: Brew Up Some Thanksgiving Cheer – Shop Now!🍻🍗
Why it works:
- The subject line is holiday-relevant, with a turkey emoji and a “Shop now” invitation to hint at the email content.
- The copy informs readers what they can offer for Thanksgiving Day and directs them to their website.
- They offered extra incentives for exclusive members and displayed them as icons to invite more people to their loyal community.
This template is perfect for this holiday. Write your own gratitude message to warm readers’ hearts:
Relevant resources:
- Best Thanksgiving Email Examples With Tips
- Best Thanksgiving Email Subject Lines To Convert
- Free Thanksgiving Newsletter Templates
10. Black Friday campaigns
And now off to one of the biggest holiday players of the year, Black Friday. Black Friday emails cannot be missing from your holiday email calendar, according to the attention they demand. Considering how hectic inboxes are around this holiday, it’s wise to follow common email marketing tactics, such as A/B testing, to increase performance.
Here’s a special Black Friday email from Brooklinen. They chose to stick to their brand design and focus on displaying some of the discounted products:
Subject line: It’s Go Time. Black Friday Starts Now!
Why it works:
- They gave their contacts more time to grab their deals and increase their seasonal sales.
- The “Shop the deals” CTA button stands out from the rest of the text to boost click-through rates.
- The referral program is cleverly embedded in this email campaign to benefit from the traffic it’ll generate.
This elegant, minimalist Black Friday template is the perfect design to display your offers. Combine it with a countdown timer to drive more sales.
Relevant resources:
- Essential Black Friday Statistics You Need To Know
- Post-Black Friday Email Campaigns: Examples & Tips
- Black Friday Email Subject Lines & Tips
11. Cyber Monday emails
Cyber Monday immediately follows Black Friday, letting online businesses extend their discounts and further boost their earnings.
Check out this amazing Cyber Monday email from Cometeer, which introduced a clever concept: Cyber Mugday.
Subject line: It’s Cyber MUGDAY! Free mugs with every box 🚀
Why it works:
- They shared how much customers will save by buying this deal.
- The option to choose a gift based on the purchased product makes this offer more engaging.
- The mug descriptions help prospects determine which product is suitable for them.
Want to build a vibrant Cyber Monday email campaign? This template’s just for you:
Relevant resources:
12. Christmas emails
Christmas is one of the most popular shopping seasons worldwide. It’s the best time to deliver festive emails to your contacts with gift recommendations, unique offers, and holiday greetings. Red and gold with Christmas-themed elements prevail, but you can keep these emails in a minimalist tone if a festive style doesn’t fit your brand naturally.
To make your message more targeted and resonant with your audience, use personalization tactics, such as custom fields and segmentation. For instance, add subscriber details (name, location, or interests) through custom fields, and group your audience by behaviors (e.g., past purchases, engagement level, or browsing activity) so each email feels more relevant.
This Christmas email example from Momofuku is ideal:
Subject line: Find the Perfect Gift for Your Favorite Food Lover
Why it works:
- They blended Christmas design elements with their own brand tone organically to delight readers while maintaining a consistent experience.
- The product recommendations and descriptions help prospects find the perfect gift for their loved ones, as noted in the subject line.
- They combined the call-to-action with the rest of the copy to make it more engaging.
‘Tis the season! Tailor this lovely email template with your brand assets to spread the holiday cheer:
Relevant resources:
- Christmas Marketing Ideas To Revive The Holiday Spirit
- Christmas Email Subject Lines To Use
- Christmas Marketing Stats To Know
Holiday Email Campaigns: Dos’ and Don’ts
Ready to create holiday emails your audience will find hard to skip? Learn some best practices and what to avoid to meet your holiday marketing goals:
The dos
- Craft attractive subject lines: Experiment with personalization, festive emojis, and a focus on exclusivity or urgency to find the best combo for your audience. You can use an AI writer to help you out.
- Personalize your emails: Segment your list by factors like location or engagement level, and use dynamic content for product suggestions.
- Showcase your unique selling point: Share the value prospects will get by purchasing your products, including free shipping, easy returns, and more.
- Use real urgency and scarcity: Highlight sales deadlines, shipping cutoffs, and limited stock notifications. Consider using a countdown timer for flash sales and last calls.
- Set up automation workflows: Set holiday email sequences in advance, from teasers to last-call emails, using email automation software like Moosend or Constant Contact.
- Track important metrics: Beyond sales, monitor your open and click-through rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints to improve your future strategy.
The don’ts
- Don’t spam your subscribers: If you plan to increase your email frequency during holidays, ensure your email volume doesn’t hurt your deliverability and sender’s reputation.
- Don’t use misleading subject lines: Fake scarcity and exclusivity, or false information, will confuse or, worse, repel subscribers.
- Don’t contain large images: Large files can be blocked from spam filters or fail to load. Always add a plain-text version to secure a good user experience.
- Don’t ignore unsubscribes: Add an unsubscribe link and share your preference center to respect readers who want to opt out.
- Don’t send bulk emails: Irrelevant holiday offers and content can lead to lower engagement and conversions.
- Don’t be over-salesy: Mix holiday wishes with sales emails to show gratitude to subscribers regardless of items in their carts.
Build Your Next Holiday Email
Hopefully, you now have all the inspiration needed to deliver compelling holiday emails. Start planning your calendar early on to avoid last-minute crises. And remember, teamwork makes the dream work. This also applies to the software you onboard in the process, including your CRM and email marketing service.
We wish you and your customers a happy holiday season, all year long!
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding holiday emails:
1. When should I start sending holiday emails?
For the year-end holiday season, start sending in late October/early November to cater to consumers who prefer to purchase holiday gifts early.
2. What makes a great holiday email?
A great holiday email includes festive content, relevant product recommendations for each holiday, and a compelling subject line that drives high open rates.
3. How do I segment my email list for the holiday season?
First, analyze past performance to spot important distinct criteria, such as engagement or product preferences. Then, create targeted holiday content for each segment.
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