Follow-ups

Holiday email to customers: a paste-ready prompt for your shop's Thanksgiving and December hours

For independent auto repair shops that need a holiday email to customers before Thanksgiving and December closures — leave with one paste-ready AI prompt, three short templates, and send dates.

Two weeks before Thanksgiving, a regular pulls into your lot with a check-engine light. The bay door is shut. They leave for the chain down the road. You never sent a holiday email to customers with your hours, so they found out the hard way. That is a lost book, not a closed door.

The short answer

Write one holiday email to customers two to four weeks before each closure, with exact open and closed dates, a last-day-to-book, and a clear way to schedule — then paste the same facts into Google Business Profile special hours. Use ChatGPT or Gemini once with your real schedule; send from Gmail, Outlook, Tekmetric, or Shopmonkey. Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday 26 November.

Why holiday emails to customers get skipped

Shop owners live in the bay. Writing a holiday email to customers feels like office work that can wait. Waiting until the week of Thanksgiving means the message lands after people already planned their week. Walk-ups arrive on closed days. Regulars book elsewhere. Google still shows your normal hours if you never set special hours, so Maps sends people to a locked door.

Seasonal search for holiday hours email templates rises every year into November. Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday 26 November; December half-days and week-long closures follow. Shops that announce 2–4 weeks ahead give customers time to book oil changes, inspections, and winter tires before the gap. One AI prompt turns your real hours into three ready emails in a couple of minutes instead of an hour of rewriting the same notice three ways — at no extra software cost if you already use Gmail or your shop system.

Floor vote

How do customers learn your Thanksgiving hours today?

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Step 1: Lock your Thanksgiving and December hours on one card

Open a note or a blank Docs/Word file. Write only facts you will publish. Do not invent hours.

Shop name: [Your shop]
Thanksgiving 2026 (Thu 26 Nov): CLOSED
Day before (Wed 25 Nov): [open HH:MM–HH:MM / closed]
Fri 27 Nov: [open / closed]
Sat 28 Nov: [open / closed]
December closures: [e.g. Tue 24 Dec closed; Wed 25 Dec closed; Thu 26 Dec open 8–12]
Last day to book before Thanksgiving: [e.g. Mon 24 Nov]
Last day to book before December closure: [e.g. Mon 22 Dec]
How to book: [link or reply / Tekmetric / Shopmonkey booking link]
Emergency tow / partner: [only if you really have one; else omit]

Update Google Business Profile the same day you decide the hours. In your Business Profile, open Edit profile → Hours. For holiday dates that differ from your regular week, use Special hours (temporary changes lasting up to six consecutive days per Google’s help). Save. Maps and Search then match the email you send.

Step 2: Paste this prompt into ChatGPT or Gemini

Open ChatGPT or Gemini. Paste the block below. Fill the brackets with the card from Step 1. Ask for three short emails, not one long letter.

You are writing for an independent US auto repair shop.
Audience: existing customers who book service and repairs.
Tone: plain, friendly, owner-to-owner. Grade 6–8. No hype. No emojis.
Facts (use only these; do not invent hours or offers):
[PASTE THE HOURS CARD FROM STEP 1]

Write THREE separate holiday emails to customers:
1) Thanksgiving hours (send ~2 weeks before Thu 26 Nov 2026)
2) December / year-end closures (send ~2 weeks before first December closed day)
3) Book-before reminder (send 5–7 days before each last-day-to-book)

For each email give:
- Subject line (under 50 characters)
- Body under 120 words
- Exact open/closed dates from the facts
- One clear next step to book
- Sign-off with shop name and booking link placeholder

Do not mention discounts, free services, or hours I did not list.

Copy each result into a draft. Read every date aloud against your card. If AI added a sale or a Sunday you do not run, delete that line.

Step 3: Use these three short holiday email templates

Edit the brackets. Keep them short enough to read on a phone.

1) Thanksgiving hours (send about Mon 10 Nov – Mon 17 Nov 2026)

Subject: Thanksgiving hours — [Shop name]

Hi [First name],

Quick note on our Thanksgiving week hours.

We are closed Thursday 26 November 2026 for Thanksgiving.
[Wed 25 Nov: open HH:MM–HH:MM / closed.]
[Fri 27 Nov: open / closed.]
[Sat 28 Nov: open / closed.]

Last day to book before the holiday: [Mon 24 Nov].
Book here: [booking link]

Thanks for trusting us with your car —
[Your name], [Shop name]

2) December closures (send about two weeks before your first closed December day)

Subject: December hours — [Shop name]

Hi [First name],

Our December schedule:

[List each closed or short day with the exact date.]

We reopen [date and hours].
Last day to book before the break: [date].
Book here: [booking link]

Safe travels —
[Your name], [Shop name]

3) Book-before reminder (send 5–7 days before each last-day-to-book)

Subject: Book by [date] — [Shop name]

Hi [First name],

Reminder: our last booking day before [Thanksgiving / the December break] is [date].

If you need oil, tires, inspection, or a check-engine look, grab a slot now: [booking link]

See you in the bay —
[Your name], [Shop name]

Step 4: Send from Gmail, Outlook, or your shop software

Gmail (computer): Compose → paste the body → add BCC from a customer export if you send one blast (never put all addresses in To). Click the arrow next to Send → Schedule send → pick a morning on your send date. Scheduled mail lives in Scheduled; you can cancel before it goes.

Outlook: New email → Options → Delay Delivery (or Schedule send, depending on your Outlook version) → set the date/time.

Tekmetric / Shopmonkey: Use your built-in customer messaging or email if your plan includes it. Pull customers with a recent visit or open estimate. Paste the same body. Do not mix marketing blasts with repair updates in one thread.

Export tip if you mail from Gmail: from Tekmetric or Shopmonkey export customers with email and last visit. Filter to people seen in the last 12–18 months. Paste emails into BCC in batches your provider allows.

Holiday email send calendar

~2–4 weeks outThanksgiving hours emailSend template 1; set GBP special hours the same day.
5–7 days before last book dayBook-before reminderSend template 3 for Thanksgiving.
~2 weeks before Dec closureDecember hours emailSend template 2; update GBP special hours again.
5–7 days before Dec last book dayDecember book-beforeSend template 3 with December dates.

One hours card drives every email and Google Business Profile special hours.

~Mon 10–17 Nov 2026, Thanksgiving hours email: send the first template; set GBP special hours the same day.
5–7 days before last book day, book-before email: send template 3 for Thanksgiving.
~2 weeks before first December closed day, December email: send template 2; update GBP special hours again.
5–7 days before December last book day: send template 3 again with December dates.

Example (illustrative): a four-bay independent shop

Example (illustrative): a four-bay shop runs Tekmetric and Gmail. In early November the owner fills the hours card (closed Thu 26 Nov; open Wed 25 Nov until noon; closed Fri 27 Nov). They paste the prompt into Gemini, get three drafts, fix one invented “15% off” line, and schedule the Thanksgiving email for Monday 10 November at 9:00. The same morning they set Google Business Profile special hours for 26–27 November. Mid-December they reuse the prompt with Christmas dates.

At a glance

Problem: Customers learned holiday closures at the door.
What was set up: One AI prompt, three short emails, GBP special hours, Gmail schedule send.
Tools it lives in: Tekmetric customer list, Gmail, Gemini or ChatGPT, Google Business Profile.
What the owner still does: Approves every date and hits schedule; does not let AI invent offers.
Payoff: not measured here — track no-shows on closed days and booked jobs in the two weeks before each closure versus last year.

Mistakes to avoid

Sending only on the day you close. People already planned their week. Give two to four weeks.
Letting AI invent hours or discounts. It will fill gaps. Your card is the only source of truth.
Updating the email but not Google Business Profile. Maps will still send people to you on closed days.
Putting every customer in the To field. Use BCC or your shop software’s mailer so addresses stay private.
Promising tow or emergency service you do not run. Omit lines you cannot keep.

Field check

Three questions. Honest answers. No score sent anywhere but this page.

01 / 03

Best window to send the Thanksgiving hours email for 26 Nov 2026?

If it still doesn't work

If your shop software will not blast email, export the list and use Gmail or Outlook schedule send. If you have no customer emails, post the same hours on Google Business Profile, your shop’s Facebook or Instagram, and a printed notice at the counter two weeks early — then start collecting emails on every RO. If Gemini or ChatGPT rewrites your hours, paste the card again and add: “Use only the facts block; delete any date not listed.”

Doing this inside the tools you already use

If you would rather not rebuild this each holiday, Deeplathe can wire a small custom flow inside Tekmetric or Shopmonkey plus Gmail: pull customers due or recently seen, draft the holiday email from your saved hours card, queue it for your approval, then log the send. You keep the final say on every date and every message. The same pattern works for other follow-ups you already do by hand — reminders and status notes — without adding a separate marketing product.

FAQ

When should I send a holiday email to customers?

Two to four weeks before the first closed day works for most shops. For Thanksgiving 2026 (Thu 26 Nov), that means roughly Monday 10 November through Monday 17 November for the hours notice, then a short book-before reminder five to seven days before your last booking day.

What should a Thanksgiving hours email to customers include?

Closed and open dates with times, the last day to book, how to schedule, and your shop name. Skip discounts unless you truly offer one. Match the same facts on Google Business Profile special hours the day you send.

Can I use ChatGPT or Gemini for a holiday closing notice?

Yes. Paste a prompt that includes only your real hours. Ask for three short emails. Read every date before you schedule send. Do not paste customer names, VINs, or repair histories into the chat.

Should I change Google Business Profile hours for holidays?

Yes. Use special hours for temporary holiday dates so Search and Maps match your email. Edit under your profile’s Hours section; Google’s help covers regular hours and special hours separately.

How do I send a holiday schedule email template from Gmail?

Compose the message, put recipients in BCC or send via your shop tool, then use Schedule send (arrow next to Send on computer). Pick a morning on your send date. Cancel from the Scheduled label if hours change.

Keep these

One hours card is the only source of truth — email and Google must match.
Send two to four weeks ahead; remind again five to seven days before the last book day.
AI drafts; you approve every date and every claim.
Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday 26 November — put that date in the first email.

Sources

The working rules

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