Holiday Hours Checklist for Your Google Business Profile (Before Thanksgiving)

Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026, and the rest of the season follows fast: Christmas Day falls on Friday, December 25, and New Year's Day on Friday, January 1, 2027 [1]. If you close early, open late, or take a day off, your customers need to know before they drive over. The easiest place to fix that is your Google Business Profile, the listing people see on Google Search and Maps.

Here is a short checklist.

Step 1: Decide your hours for each date

Grab a calendar and write down what you will do on each day that is different from normal:

• Wednesday, Nov 25 (the day before Thanksgiving)
• Thursday, Nov 26 (Thanksgiving)
• Friday, Nov 27 (the day after)
• Dec 24, Dec 25, Dec 31 and Jan 1

Talk with your team first, so the hours you post are the hours someone will actually be there.

Step 2: Add "Special hours" on Google

Google has a feature built for this. Special hours let you change hours for a holiday or event without touching your regular weekly schedule [2]. In Google's own steps:

1. Go to your Business Profile.
2. Select Edit profile, then Hours.
3. Next to "Special hours," select Edit.
4. Pick a suggested holiday date or add your own date.
5. Enter your hours, or leave "Closed" checked if you are closed that day.
6. Save.

You can also add more than one set of hours for the same day, which helps if you close for a midday break [2].

Step 3: Confirm holidays even if your hours do not change

This one surprises people. Google recommends confirming your hours for official holidays even when they are the same as usual, so customers can trust that the hours are accurate [2].

Optional: Black Friday

Black Friday is not an official holiday. If it is a busy day for you and your hours change, add special hours for that date.

Step 4: Know when to use "Temporarily closed" instead

For a closure of about a week or less, use special hours [2]. For a longer closure, mark the business as Temporarily closed [3]. Also, special hours only show if your profile is set to "Open with main hours" [2].

Step 5: Match your website

Put a short holiday hours note near the top of your homepage or contact page, with the same dates and times. If the two do not match, people do not know which one to believe.

Step 6: Update your voicemail greeting

Record a quick greeting for the holiday days: when you are closed, when you reopen, and how to reach you or book. Do it in English and Spanish if your customers speak both. Set a reminder to switch it back afterward.

Step 7: Check your booking tools

If customers book online, block off the days you are closed in your booking app or calendar. Nothing frustrates a client more than booking a slot and finding a locked door.

Step 8: Tell your regulars

A short post on social media, a sign at the register, or a text to customers who opted in to hear from you. Keep it simple: the dates, the hours, and "thank you."

Step 9: Double-check the week before

Search your business on Google from your phone a few days before Thanksgiving and look at the hours shown. Then do it again before Christmas.

A quick printable list

• Hours decided for Nov 25, 26, 27, Dec 24, 25, 31 and Jan 1
• Special hours added on Google
• Normal-hour holidays confirmed on Google
• Website note added
• Voicemail updated (EN/ES)
• Booking calendar blocked
• Regulars told
• Final check on Google from your phone

Holiday weeks are busy enough. Post the hours before the holiday so people can see when you are open.