A good real estate holiday email is short, warm and about the occasion, not your listings. Send it a few days before the holiday, to the people who agreed to hear from you, with no sales pitch beyond your signature. Keep days of remembrance, such as Remembrance Day and Veterans Day, respectful, or skip them.
Below is a calendar of the holidays agents in Canada and the US most often mark, from Thanksgiving in October to Valentine’s Day, with copy-paste emails for each, when to send them, and a note on getting the tone right. Replace everything in [square brackets] with your own details.
A holiday email calendar for Canada and the US
Some holidays fall on a fixed date, some on a set weekday, and some move with the lunar or Hebrew calendar. Check the date each year before you schedule.
| Occasion | Canada | United States | When to send |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving | Second Monday of October | Fourth Thursday of November | Two or three days before |
| Halloween | October 31 | October 31 | A few days before, with safety tips |
| Diwali | October or November (moves each year) | The day before or the day itself | |
| Remembrance Day / Veterans Day | November 11 (Remembrance Day) | November 11 (Veterans Day) | On the day, as a note of respect, or not at all |
| Hanukkah | Late November or December (moves each year) | Before the first night | |
| Christmas and the holiday season | December 25 | December 25 | Mid-December |
| New Year | January 1 | January 1 | December 30 to January 2 |
| Lunar New Year | Late January or February (moves each year) | A day or two before | |
| Valentine’s Day | February 14 | February 14 | February 10 to 14 |
| Family Day | Third Monday of February in several provinces | Not a US holiday | The Thursday or Friday before |
| Canada Day / Independence Day | July 1 | July 4 | Two or three days before |
You don’t need all of them. Three or four a year, plus your regular newsletter, is plenty for most databases. Our 52 real estate newsletter ideas place these occasions in a full year of topics.
Keep the tone right
Holiday emails work because they ask nothing of the reader. A few habits keep it that way:
- Make the occasion the subject. Leave out listings, prices and “thinking of selling?” buttons. Your signature already says what you do.
- Remembrance is not a promotion. Remembrance Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day in the US and Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30 are days of respect. If you mark them at all, keep it to a few sentences with no offer, no button and no listing.
- Don’t guess what people celebrate. Send a general holiday card to everyone. Send a greeting for a specific religious or cultural occasion, such as Hanukkah, Diwali, Eid or Lunar New Year, to the clients you know celebrate it because they told you, never because of their name.
- Write like a person. One or two short paragraphs, signed with your name, read better than a long card full of clip art.
- Treat it like the rest of your marketing. A holiday email from your business still keeps your name in front of people as their agent, so send it to the people you have consent to email, with your identification and an unsubscribe link. Our article on CASL and CAN-SPAM for realtors covers the rules on both sides of the border.
Thanksgiving: October in Canada, November in the US
Thanksgiving is the easiest holiday email to write, because thanking your clients is the whole point. Canadian Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October; US Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. If you have clients on both sides of the border, send each version to a segment by country or province and state.
Hi [First name],
Thanksgiving is a good moment to stop and say thank you, and I have a lot to be thankful for this year. Much of it is the people who trusted me with one of the biggest decisions they’ll make, and the friends they sent my way.
Wherever you’re gathering this weekend, I hope there’s good food, good company and a little time to rest.
Happy Thanksgiving,
[Your name]
For a US audience, change “this weekend” to “this week” and send it on the Monday or Tuesday before. A one-line P.S. about a local food bank drive you’re supporting is fine; a P.S. about your latest listing isn’t.
Remembrance Day and Veterans Day
Both fall on November 11. Many agents don’t send anything, and that’s a perfectly good choice. If you do, keep it brief and leave out anything about real estate.
Hi [First name],
Today we pause to remember those who served, and those who didn’t come home. At 11 a.m., I’ll be taking a moment of silence, and I know many of you will too.
With gratitude,
[Your name]
For a US audience on Veterans Day, a line thanking veterans for their service suits the day better than remembrance alone. Either way, no images of products, no call to action and no promotion.
Hanukkah, Christmas and the holiday season
December is when many agents send their warmest email of the year: a holiday card. Send a general card to your whole database in mid-December, and a separate greeting to clients you know celebrate a particular occasion.
A general holiday card
Hi [First name],
As the year winds down, I wanted to send a simple thank-you for being part of it. Whether you’re celebrating, travelling or just enjoying a few quiet days at home, I hope the season brings you rest and good company.
See you in the new year,
[Your name], [Brokerage]
Christmas
Hi [First name],
Merry Christmas! However you spend the day, I hope it’s full of the people and traditions you love.
Thank you for a wonderful year. It’s been a privilege to help so many of you find, sell and settle into your homes.
Warmly,
[Your name]
Hanukkah
Hi [First name],
Wishing you and your family a happy Hanukkah. May the eight nights bring light, warmth and plenty of latkes.
Chag sameach,
[Your name]
Hanukkah’s dates move each year and can begin in late November or run into late December, so check before you schedule. If you’d rather send one card to everyone, “Happy holidays” or “Season’s greetings” covers the whole season.
Making the season useful
If you want to add something practical, keep it seasonal rather than salesy: a short winter home checklist, local light displays or holiday markets, or a reminder about recycling the tree. The real estate newsletter templates include winter home-care checklists you can adapt.
New Year and Lunar New Year
The New Year email can carry a little more substance than a December card, because January is when many people start planning a move. A light, optional offer of help fits; a hard sell doesn’t.
Hi [First name],
Happy New Year! Thank you for being part of my year. I’m looking forward to seeing what this one brings for you.
If a move, a renovation or just a question about what your home is worth is on your list for the year ahead, I’m always happy to help, with no pressure. Just reply to this email.
All the best,
[Your name]
Lunar New Year falls in late January or February, and is celebrated by many Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese families, among others. Send it to clients who’ve told you they celebrate.
Hi [First name],
Wishing you and your family health, happiness and prosperity in the Year of the [Animal]. I hope the celebrations are full of good food and good company.
[Your name]
Valentine’s Day and Family Day
February brings two lighter occasions. Valentine’s Day is the one holiday where a gentle nod to homes works, because “falling in love with a home” is a phrase everyone knows.
Hi [First name],
Happy Valentine’s Day! In the spirit of the day, here are a few things I love about living in [Area]: [a favourite café], [a park or walk], [a local event coming up].
What’s yours? Hit reply and tell me. I might share a few favourites in next month’s newsletter.
[Your name]
Family Day falls on the third Monday of February in several provinces, including British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, under different names in some others. It’s a natural reason to share a few local, family-friendly ideas for the long weekend. US agents can use the same idea for a long weekend such as Presidents’ Day or Memorial Day weekend, keeping Memorial Day itself respectful.
Canada Day, Independence Day and the rest of the year
Canada Day on July 1 and Independence Day on July 4 are good for a short, upbeat note with where to watch the fireworks and a reminder to keep pets calm. For the rest of the year, Mother’s Day (the second Sunday of May in both countries), Father’s Day (the third Sunday of June) and Labour Day, spelled Labor Day in the US, on the first Monday of September all suit a short hello.
Hi [First name],
Happy Canada Day! If you’re looking for fireworks tonight, [Location] starts at [Time], and [Second location] is a quieter option with good views.
Enjoy the long weekend,
[Your name]
Swap in “Happy Fourth of July” and your local fireworks for a US audience.
Schedule your holiday emails in OneHive Mail
Holiday emails are easy to forget until the day itself, so set them up in one sitting:
- Pick a design. The template gallery has a general holiday card and designs for New Year, Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, Family Day, Easter, Vaisakhi, Mother’s and Father’s Day, Canada Day, Thanksgiving, Diwali, Remembrance Day, Hanukkah, Christmas, Eid and more. Several are written for Canadian occasions, and every word is editable, so they adapt easily for US holidays. Browse them on the holiday email templates page.
- Let your branding fill in. Your name, photo, logo and contact details replace the sample content, and your business name, mailing address, licence details and an unsubscribe link go in the footer automatically.
- Choose who gets it. Send the general card to a list or your whole subscribed audience. For a country-specific holiday, use a segment such as “country is CA” or “country is US”; for an occasion some clients celebrate, use a tag you added because they told you.
- Schedule it. Pick the date, time and timezone, and it sends itself. You can cancel a scheduled campaign any time before it starts.
- Read the replies. Holiday emails often get personal replies. They go to your own reply-to address, so answer them yourself.
After the holidays, a home anniversary or a closing thank-you keeps the same warmth going all year. The client appreciation templates have designs for both, and the guide to writing emails people open and click has more on subject lines and preview text. Want to schedule this season’s cards now? Start a free trial; holiday designs are included on every plan.
Frequently asked questions
When should I send a real estate holiday email?
Two or three days before the holiday for most occasions, mid-December for a Christmas or holiday-season card, and between December 30 and January 2 for New Year. Send Remembrance Day or Veterans Day notes on November 11 itself, if at all.
Should a holiday email mention my listings?
No. Leave out listings, prices and calls to action. The email works because it asks nothing of the reader, and your signature and footer already say who you are and what you do.
Is it OK to send Christmas emails to everyone?
Many agents send a general “happy holidays” or “season’s greetings” card to their whole database and save “Merry Christmas” for clients they know celebrate it. Either is fine; just be consistent and warm.
When is Thanksgiving in Canada and the US?
Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday of October. US Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. If your database spans both countries, send each version to a segment by country.
Do I need consent to send holiday emails?
Treat them like the rest of your email marketing: in Canada, send them to people who gave express consent or whose implied consent is still valid, and include your identification and an unsubscribe link everywhere. The compliance article explains both countries’ rules.
How many holiday emails should I send a year?
Three or four is plenty for most agents, alongside a monthly newsletter. Thanksgiving, a December card and New Year are the usual core; add the occasions your clients celebrate.