40 Holiday Season Content Ideas for Social Media

40 holiday content ideas in five families, each with a suggested format, priorities by business type and a plan from late November to January 1.

Published on September 29, 2026 · Content creation

For the holiday season, rotate between five content families: behind the scenes, products and gift ideas, practical information, community, and year-in-review plus wishes. Below are 40 concrete ideas, eight per family, each with a suggested format. Pick ten to fifteen and you can cover late November through January 1 without repeating yourself.

To map these ideas onto the right dates (GivingTuesday on December 1, Hanukkah from December 4 to 12, Christmas on Friday, December 25, 2026, New Year's Eve), use our guide What to post in December.

How do you choose from these 40 ideas?

Three questions are enough to sort them:

1. What can I produce easily? A behind-the-scenes clip shot on a phone takes less effort than a shoot. Start with what you already do.
2. What genuinely helps my customers in December? Deadlines, gift ideas, hours. Useful beats pretty.
3. How many posts can I sustain? Three posts a week you actually keep up beat a daily plan abandoned on December 10. Our article on how often to post on Instagram helps you set that pace.

What behind-the-scenes content works during the holidays?

1. Decorating the shop or office, sped up (short video).
2. Packing orders, from the roll of paper to the sealed box (short video).
3. Making a seasonal product: a holiday cake, a gift box, a candle, a limited run (Reel or TikTok).
4. A typical December day, hour by hour (carousel).
5. The team's Secret Santa draw, with everyone's okay (Story).
6. The last Saturday rush before Christmas, filmed at closing time (short video).
7. The suppliers and makers behind your holiday products (carousel).
8. The December 26 cleanup, with a sense of humor (Story).

Which product and gift ideas should you post?

9. Gift guide by budget: under $20, under $50, treat yourself (design carousel).
10. Gift guide by person: for the foodie, the runner, a kid (carousel).
11. This year's gift set in detail: what's inside and why (short video).
12. "What our team would gift", one pick per person (carousel).
13. Your gift card and how to use it (image post).
14. Free gift wrapping, demonstrated (short video).
15. Last-minute gifts available in store (Story, from December 20).
16. An honest comparison of two similar products to help people choose (carousel).

Which practical, useful posts should you prepare?

17. Your order deadlines for delivery before Christmas, checked against your carrier's published cutoffs (image post).
18. Your holiday hours: December 24, 25 and 31, and January 1 (Story and pinned post).
19. A holiday recipe using one of your products (Reel, Pinterest).
20. A how-to: set a table, wrap a gift, dress a window (short video).
21. Your returns and exchanges policy after the holidays, in plain words (carousel).
22. Answers to December's most common questions (carousel).
23. An expert tip from your trade: choosing a wine, storing cheese, winterizing a bike (text post or video).
24. A useful countdown: one tip per day or per week (Stories).

How do you get your community involved?

25. A poll: "practical gift or fun gift?" (Story).
26. A photo call: your product under the tree, with permission to repost (post).
27. A giveaway with clear official rules that follow the platform's promotion policies (post).
28. A shout-out to a neighboring business or partner (carousel or collab post).
29. A cause you support, with exactly what they need (post, ideal for GivingTuesday).
30. Customer reviews from the year, with their okay (design carousel).
31. "Tell us your holiday tradition" in the comments (text post).
32. A live session to answer gift questions (Instagram or TikTok Live).

What should you post for the year-in-review and wishes?

33. Your year in five images (carousel).
34. Real numbers from the year, only ones you can back up (design carousel).
35. What we learned this year (LinkedIn text post).
36. Your community's favorite post, reshared with context (post).
37. A thank-you to the team, by name if everyone agrees (video or carousel).
38. Holiday wishes from the team, a few seconds each on camera (short video).
39. What's coming in January: a launch, an opening, an event (post).
40. A brand resolution you plan to keep, and how you'll report back (text post).

Which ideas fit your type of business?

How do you spread these ideas from late November to January 1?

For the opening lines, borrow from our 30 hooks for November and Black Friday: several adapt directly to gift guides and deadlines.

Which holiday mistakes should you avoid?

• Posting nothing but promotions. A feed made only of discounts reads like an ad.
• Forgetting practical information. Hours and deadlines are often the most useful posts of the month.
• Making up numbers for the year-in-review. If you didn't measure it, tell a story instead.
• Posting the same image everywhere. Recrop and rewrite for each network.
• Going silent after Christmas. December 26 to 31 is ideal for your recap and January teaser.

How do you turn one idea into posts for several networks?

A single good holiday idea can feed several posts, as long as you adapt it to each network instead of copying the same visual everywhere. Take idea 2, packing orders:

• Instagram and TikTok: a vertical video of fifteen to thirty seconds, with on-screen text from the first second.
• Facebook: the same video, with a practical caption that repeats your shipping deadlines.
• LinkedIn: a text post about how the team organizes itself during the December peak, with one photo.
• Pinterest: a "gift wrapping ideas" pin pulled from a frame of the video.
• Stories: three behind-the-scenes frames, posted the same day.

One production session gives you five different pieces of content, each written for its own audience. It's the simplest way to keep up a holiday rhythm without spending your evenings on it.

The same logic works in reverse. If a post clearly resonates on one network, with more comments or saves than usual, adapt it for the others rather than letting it live in one place. The holidays are short, so reusing what already works is often a better use of your time than starting from a blank page.

How Oposto helps you produce holiday content

Oposto learns your brand from your website and turns these ideas into posts, image carousels, design carousels and short videos with voiceover and captions, adapted to each network. Its inspiration tab also surfaces current trends. You approve, and Oposto publishes on schedule to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, X and Pinterest. Try it for free, no credit card required.

Frequently asked questions

How many posts should I publish over the holidays?

There's no ideal number: pick a pace you can keep until January 1. Ten to fifteen well-chosen ideas from this list comfortably cover the season.

Which idea is the easiest to produce?

Behind-the-scenes clips shot on a phone: decorating, packing orders or making a product need no studio and no complex editing.

Can I run a holiday giveaway on Instagram?

Yes, as long as you publish clear official rules (eligibility, dates, how winners are chosen) and follow the platform's promotion policies.

Should I post between Christmas and New Year's?

Yes. December 26 to 31 is the right time for your year-in-review, thank-yous and a look at what's coming in January.