As the year winds down, many small business owners ask the same questions:
How early should I start preparing for Christmas?
What needs sorting before the Great Kiwi Shutdown?
How can I manage cash flow, keep the team organised and make sure customers know what to expect?
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. The lead-up to Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year - but it doesn’t have to be stressful. With some planning and a clear checklist, you can head into the holidays knowing your business is under control.
Short on Time? Here’s the Quick Version
If you only have a few minutes:
Plan your December and January schedule early.
Confirm rosters and leave for your team members - communicate clearly.
Manage cash flow so you can get through the slower and quieter weeks.
Let customers and suppliers know your closing dates and hours.
Wrap up admin tasks in December for a clean start in January.
1. Map Out Your Christmas Schedule Early
Think of this step as setting your business’s GPS before a road trip - you’ll reach your destination faster when everyone knows the route.
Take time to plan December and January carefully. Whether you’re closing completely or staying open with reduced hours, a clear schedule keeps things running smoothly for your team and customers.
Key Dates to Note:
Christmas Day and Boxing Day: Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 December 2025
New Year’s Day and the day after: Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 January 2026
Many businesses will likely close from Saturday 20 December 2025 to Sunday 4 January 2026, giving businesses a good two-week break around the public holidays.
If you’re closing, confirm your final working day early and communicate it to your team, customers and suppliers. If you’re staying open, plan your team coverage over the holidays to make sure key roles are filled and any deliveries around the public holidays to avoid gaps.
Tip: Use a shared calendar for courier cut-offs, team rosters and key business dates. Keep it somewhere everyone can see.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
2. Get Team Leave Sorted (and Keep It Fair)
Sorting leave early is like packing before a long trip. It is far less stressful if you do it ahead of time.
Talk to your team about their plans and get leave requests in by mid-November. Confirm who is working, who’s on leave, who is on call and what needs to happen before everyone signs off.
Things to Check Off
Leave requests: Collect and confirm early to avoid clashes.
Fairness: Rotate who works during the Christmas/New Year break so no one misses out on having this time off two years in a row.
Holiday pay accrued: Check your payroll software now to be sure annual leave has been calculating properly. No one wants to find out on Christmas Eve it’s been wrong all year and end up staying back late to fix it!
On-call expectations: Clarify who’s available, when and how they can be contacted. It helps to agree on set contact hours for the on-call person (for example, 9–11am daily). That way, no one’s left waiting all day for a reply, and the on-call person isn’t stuck hanging around “just in case.”
For many small business owners, you’re the on-call person - or you might be the one covering the break so your team can take time off.
Know Your Obligations (Holidays Act 2003)
If your business plans a close-down period, you will need to:
Give at least 14 days’ written notice.
Require team members with accrued leave to use it during the close-down.
Advise anyone without enough leave that time off will be unpaid.
Reset each team member’s annual leave anniversary in your payroll system.
Getting this right now avoids headaches cropping up in the new year when you return in January.
Encourage Leave to Manage Liabilities
Encouraging team to take leave over summer is not only good for their wellbeing, it also keeps your annual leave balances and cash liabilities healthy. Large leave accruals can affect cash flow and even borrowing capacity, so a planned break helps both your team and your business breathe easier.
At Conduit, we often remind clients that leave is meant to be taken, not stockpiled. It makes sense for most businesses to encourage their team to take time off when things naturally slow down. This might not be December or January for your business - your quiet season could be autumn or mid-winter instead, which makes that the perfect time for your business to encourage your team to take leave.
“Take care of your employees and they’ll take care of your business.” - Richard Branson
3. Protect Your Cash Flow Over Christmas
Cash flow can get tight over Christmas. Payments slow down, bills don’t - and those public holidays stretch things out. Even with seven-day banking, some EFTPOS and payment systems still delay payouts during this time.
Cash Flow Tips
Invoice early: Send invoices by the first week of December and make sure everything’s issued before you head off.
Follow up overdue accounts: Don’t assume payment before Christmas - get confirmation or ask to be paid before you close for the year.
Stay disciplined with spending: Don’t overspend on the end of year team function, customer gifts or big bonuses unless they’re already budgeted for and all taxes and leave costs are covered.
Preload payments: Set up supplier, contractor and team payments in advance so no one needs to pop into the office (in person or virtually) during the holidays. If possible, pay your main suppliers on Friday 19 December as a little end-of-year thank-you.
Plan for January: Put aside funds for a couple of quieter weeks when you return to work – not everyone comes back on the same day, so the new year can be a bit slow to restart for some businesses. Remember, for many businesses the next GST return is due 15 January and PAYE needs to be paid no later than 20 December and 20 January to avoid adding any late payment penalties.
If you expect a cashflow dip, talk to your bookkeeper or accountant early about cash flow planning. Many of our clients set aside holiday pay earned during the year to cover December–February payroll costs - it’s a smart way to stay stress-free and guarantee your team’s wages are covered.
“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” — Benjamin Franklin
4. Keep Everyone in the Loop
No one likes being caught off guard by closed days, reduced hours, or missed deadlines. Communicating early keeps everyone happy and helps avoid the pre-Christmas rush and post-holiday scramble.
Update Your Customers, Suppliers, and Team
Post your holiday hours on Google, your website, and social media.
Add your holiday hours to every email - either send a short update to customers or include the details in your email signature so everyone knows when you’ll be closed.
Set a friendly out-of-office email or voicemail with your reopening dates.
Email regular clients to confirm delivery or booking cut-off dates.
Pin a short post with your closing and reopening dates, along with a thank-you message.
Example message:
“We’ll be taking a well-earned break from 20 December 2025 and reopening on 5 January 2026. Thank you for your support this year — we can’t wait to work with you again in 2026!”
Small, thoughtful updates like this build trust and show professionalism.
5. Make the Most of Christmas Marketing Opportunities
While some businesses slow down, others see December as their busiest month. Even if sales aren’t your focus, it is a great time to connect with your customers.
Easy Marketing Ideas
Send a thank-you message to clients (or suppliers).
Offer a small festive promo or gift voucher.
Post a year-end reflection on social media or your blog.
Schedule a few light posts through the break, something cheerful and human.
December isn’t just about winding down for the year, it’s also about staying visible and genuine. People remember businesses that stay real during the busy season.
“People do business with people they like and trust.” - Zig Ziglar
6. Tidy Up and Be Ready for Anything
Before you switch off for summer, spend an hour or two tidying up and setting a few safety nets - you’ll thank yourself in January.
Have a Backup Plan
Even with solid preparation, things can go wrong: bad weather, illness, power cuts, courier delays. Write down a short contingency plan covering who steps in if someone is away, how to contact key suppliers and what systems need monitoring. A bit of foresight turns potential problems into quick fixes.
Your Pre-Christmas Checklist
Back up your systems and data. If you’ll be accessing business systems from off-site, test your access beforehand to make sure everything works smoothly.
Clear your inbox and finish small admin jobs – especially anything requested by your bookkeeper 😊
Check stock levels and order essentials for delivery as soon as possible in January.
Update passwords and access - Make sure any team members covering someone else’s tasks or shifts have the logins and permissions they need to get the work done.
Note down what worked well this year and what did not. Have an informal chat with your team – they can be a great source of feedback & ideas for future improvement.
Tip: Leave a short “January plan” on your desk. Future-you will be grateful when the new year starts.
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” - Seneca
Final Thoughts
Getting your business ready for Christmas doesn’t have to be stressful. With a bit of structure and forward thinking, you can enjoy the holiday break knowing everything is under control.
Whether you are closing for the Great Kiwi Shutdown or staying open through the festive break, planning ahead means fewer surprises and a calmer start to 2026.
And if you would like a hand with the financial side - whether it’s bookkeeping, payroll or cash flow prep, we are happy to help.
👉 Book a free discovery meeting and we will help you head into Christmas feeling organised, confident and ready for the new year!
About the Author
Rachel Paterson is Conduit’s Chief Chaos Breaker, helping New Zealand businesses cut through the noise and simplify their systems. With over 30 years of experience across media, advertising, and telecommunications, Rachel founded Conduit Bookkeeping in 2017 to help small businesses stay compliant, confident, and in control.
Today, Conduit Business Solutions supports trades, retail, e-commerce and service-based businesses with practical bookkeeping, payroll, software training and app advice. As a Xero Certified Advisor and a Xero Gold Partner, Rachel and her team work with tools like Tradify, Cin7 Core, Lightspeed, PayHero and more to keep business life running smoothly.
At the heart of her work are strong relationships, plain-English support and practical, no-nonsense solutions that make business feel lighter, especially during the busy pre-Christmas season.