Christmas and New Year for online sellers
The six weeks from Diwali to New Year are the second gifting season of the year — and Secret Santa makes it the easiest. Here is the plan for a small online store, week by week, and a free store to do it in.
By Manan Agrawal, Founder · Updated October 23, 2026
Christmas is on Friday 25 December 2026. Pick a gift range in early November, turn on the hamper page and a “Secret Santa under ₹500” collection by late November, run one offer you have done the maths for, and set a last order date your courier can meet. On SitesPlaced the store is free with 0% commission — UPI, cash on delivery, WhatsApp checkout, coupons, personalisation and the hamper page included. Growth adds Buy X Get Y and the sales boosters, and every paid plan makes store pages answer about 4× faster. In India you can pay once, with no autopay.
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Why sell this Christmas on SitesPlaced?
- ✓It is free, with 0% commission. Unlimited products and orders. You pay nothing to open, and nothing per sale.
- ✓You can be live tonight. Pick one of 16 free store templates, add your products — or bring them in from your Instagram or an existing website — and publish.
- ✓Money goes straight to you. UPI, cards and net banking through your own Razorpay, PhonePe or Cashfree account, plus cash on delivery and WhatsApp checkout.
- ✓The gifting tools are built in. A build-your-own hamper page, a gift note and paid gift wrap through per-product personalisation, coupons that end on their own, free delivery above an order value, a last-order-date bar and pause ordering — all free.
- ✓It keeps up with the rush. On every paid plan your store pages answer about 4× faster, and Growth adds “Buy 2 Get 1” and cart upsells for bigger orders.
- ✓No autopay unless you want it. In India, pay once — ₹199 for 30 days of Starter, ₹499 for 30 days of Growth — and nothing renews by itself. Or try 7 days free with autopay and the code FREE7.
Your Christmas and New Year plan, week by week
Early November: pick the gift range
Hampers, Secret Santa gifts under ₹500, cakes and bakes, candles, décor, winter wear — choose two or three lines you can pack and ship, and price them with the box and the courier included. Shoot the photos now, in daylight.
Mid November: put the store up and turn on the hamper page
Open a free store, add the range, switch on UPI, cash on delivery and WhatsApp checkout. If you sell gifts, turn on the build-your-own hamper page so buyers can make their own box, and add a note field with per-product personalisation.
Late November: Secret Santa season starts
Offices and colleges draw names in late November and early December. A “Secret Santa under ₹500” collection with a gift-ready product (wrap or a card as a paid extra) is the easiest Christmas sale there is.
1–10 December: one clear offer, and tell everyone
A coupon with an end date and free delivery above an order value are free; “Buy 2 Get 1” and cart upsells come with Growth. Then gift guides by budget on Instagram, packing videos, and WhatsApp status every day with the store link.
By 15 December: announce the last order date
Ask your courier for the last pickup that still arrives before the 25th, and put that date in the announcement bar. Anything landing after Christmas is a refund, not a gift.
Christmas (Friday 25 December 2026) to New Year (Friday 1 January 2027)
Pause ordering with your own message if you stop shipping. Then run a short New Year clearance on the leftover festive stock — a coupon that ends on 2 January does the job without a redesign.
January: thank, review, plan the year
Thank every buyer, ask for a review, sort returns quickly. The wedding season is already running and Valentine's week is six weeks away — plan both while December is fresh.
The gifting tools in your store
Everything below is built into a SitesPlaced store. The plan each one needs is in its title — most of the Christmas basics are free.
Build-your-own hamper page · Free
Buyers pick products and you pack them into one hamper with a photo and a note. Set hamper prices by the number of items, and add a box-and-ribbon product that goes into every hamper.
Per-product personalisation · Free
A text note, a photo upload, or paid extras such as gift wrap or a card — set on the products that need it. The gift message arrives with the order.
Coupons with an expiry date · Free
Percent or flat codes and sale prices. Give a XMAS code an end date so it stops working on its own — and a NEWYEAR code for the clearance.
Free-shipping bar · Free
“Add ₹200 more for free delivery” at the top of the cart — the simplest way to lift the size of a gift order.
Announcement bar and pause ordering · Free
Put your last order date at the top of every page, and pause ordering with your own message when you stop shipping for the holidays.
Buy X Get Y and sales boosters · Growth
“Buy 2 Get 1”, a slide-out cart with upsells, frequently bought together and a post-purchase offer — the tools that turn one gift into three.
What should you sell for Christmas and New Year?
The best Christmas products are things people buy for someone else, in a hurry, with a budget in mind. If you already sell, add a gift version of what you have — a box, a set, a hamper — rather than starting a new line in December.
- ✓Gift hampers and gift boxes — snacks, bakes, candles, skincare, chocolate
- ✓Secret Santa gifts under ₹500 — mugs, stationery, small plants, socks, candles
- ✓Plum cakes, cookies, brownies and other bakes (FSSAI registration applies to food)
- ✓Christmas décor, candles, fairy lights and tree ornaments
- ✓Personalised gifts — names, photos and messages on frames, mugs and journals
- ✓Winter wear — sweaters, shawls, kids' woollens — for the short cold season
Pick the free template that matches what you sell — you can change the colours, fonts and photos to look festive.
GiftsGifts & Lifestyle Store
Laid out like Chumbak. A home page of big stacked category photos, shop by occasion, and a preview of the shopper’s own photo on personalised products.
View live demo
FoodFood Store
Laid out like The Whole Truth. A giant type headline instead of a banner photo, colourful category cards, and pack sizes right on the product card.
View live demo
HomeHome & Decor Store
Laid out like Troost. A dark header, a calm product grid, a photo mosaic of your categories, and each rug or print design shown as a photo on the product page.
View live demo
ClothingClothing Store
Laid out like Jnorss. Edge-to-edge photos, the sizes still in stock on every card, and a save-% tag on anything on sale.
View live demo
BeautyBeauty Store
Laid out like Bella Vita. Bestsellers and New arrivals tabs, a benefit line with star ratings and Add to cart on every card, an offer band, and a bottom menu on phones.
View live demo
JewelleryJewellery Store
Laid out like GIVA. A search box that stays open, two rows of category tiles, shop-by-price tiles, and each finish shown as a photo on the product page.
View live demoGuides for this season
Open your store before Secret Santa season
Free to build, publish and sell with 0% commission — UPI, cash on delivery, WhatsApp checkout, coupons, personalisation and the hamper page included. Want Buy X Get Y, the sales boosters and pages that answer about 4× faster? In India you can pay once for 30 days with no autopay, or use FREE7 for 7 days free with autopay.
Start my free store →Already have a store? Open your dashboard — the Christmas checklist is on your Home tab from the day after Diwali.
Frequently asked questions
When is Christmas in 2026, and when should an online seller start?
Christmas Day is Friday 25 December 2026 and New Year's Day is Friday 1 January 2027. Start the range in early November: Secret Santa orders begin in late November, and the last courier pickup that arrives before the 25th is usually around the middle of December — ask your courier for the exact date and put it in your store's announcement bar.
What sells best at Christmas online in India?
Things people buy for someone else: gift hampers and boxes, Secret Santa gifts under ₹500, plum cakes and bakes, candles and décor, personalised gifts and winter wear. If you already sell, add a gift version of what you have — a box, a set, a hamper — rather than a new product line in December.
Can I open an online store for Christmas for free?
Yes. On SitesPlaced the store is free with 0% commission: unlimited products and orders, UPI and cards through your own Razorpay, PhonePe or Cashfree account, cash on delivery, WhatsApp checkout, coupons, the free-shipping bar, per-product personalisation and the build-your-own hamper page. You pay only if you want what a paid plan adds.
Which paid features help most in the Christmas rush?
Growth adds Buy X Get Y offers and the sales boosters — cart upsells, frequently bought together and a post-purchase offer — which raise the value of each order. Every paid plan from Starter also makes your store's pages answer about 4× faster than on the free plan, which matters when traffic arrives from Instagram and WhatsApp on phones. In India you can pay once — ₹199 for 30 days of Starter or ₹499 for 30 days of Growth — with no autopay, or use the code FREE7 for 7 days free with autopay.
How do I take Secret Santa orders from an office?
Make a collection of gifts under ₹500 with a gift-ready option (wrap or a card as a paid extra), add a product for the whole set if an office wants one order for everyone, and take the conversation on WhatsApp. Put the delivery date in writing, and take an advance by UPI for bulk orders.
What should I do between Christmas and New Year?
Pause ordering with your own message if you stop shipping, then run a short New Year clearance on leftover festive stock with a coupon that ends on 2 January. In January, thank every buyer, ask for reviews and plan for the wedding season and Valentine's week.
