If you are wondering when to order custom Christmas boxes, the answer for most brands is 8 to 11 weeks before Christmas. That window leaves room for a printed sample, a final proof round and a calm packing season for your team.
Printed boxes are made to order, so each one passes through a dieline, a proof, a sample and a production run before it reaches your door. Those steps take about six weeks together, and every brand in the country starts them in the same short window.
This guide shows the countdown in business days, how to work out your own order date and which boxes take longer to make. It also covers what to do when the right time has already slipped past.
Key takeaways
- The right time to order custom Christmas boxes is 8 to 11 weeks before Christmas for most brands and gift buyers.
- Mailers and folding cartons take about 28 business days from quote to delivery, and rigid gift boxes take about 30.
- A plain sample in place of a printed one saves about five business days when the season is already close.
- Count back from the day your first gift leaves, not from Christmas Day, to find the order week that fits your business.
- Order 10 to 15 percent more boxes than you expect to use, because a reorder late in the season rarely arrives in time.
When Is the Right Time to Order Custom Christmas Boxes?
The right time is when Christmas is still 8 to 11 weeks away from the day you place the order. Your boxes need about six weeks to make and a few more weeks to fill with gifts.
| Step | Folding cartons and mailers | Rigid and magnetic boxes |
|---|---|---|
| Quote, dieline and artwork approval | 3 | 3 |
| Printed sample | 7 to 10 | 7 to 10 |
| Production after approval | 8 to 10 | 10 to 12 |
| Free shipping across the US | 3 to 5 | 3 to 5 |
| Total with a printed sample | About 28 | About 30 |
Twenty eight business days equals almost six calendar weeks once the weekends in between are added to the count. A plain sample in place of a printed one saves about five business days from either column.
Those six weeks only bring the boxes to your door, and your team still needs time to pack and ship gifts. The next section explains why the Christmas season leaves less slack than any other time of year.
Why Does Christmas Packaging Need More Lead Time Than Other Seasons?
Christmas packaging needs more lead time because every gift brand, bakery and corporate buyer places an order in the same few weeks.
- Press schedules fill up as orders for gift boxes, mailers and treat boxes arrive at the same time from every kind of business
- Approvals slow down when your own team is busy with sales and the proof waits in an inbox for days
- Carriers carry peak volume in the last weeks of the year, so freight for boxes and gifts moves more slowly
- Sales events start early because many brands launch holiday offers around Black Friday and need boxes before that weekend
An early order also gives you time to compare a foil sample with a plain one before the run. That choice is hard to make well when the press date is only days away.
Our own Black Friday packaging boxes page shows how early the holiday rush now begins for online stores. Each of these delays stacks on top of the next, so the steps themselves deserve a closer look.
What Happens Between Your Quote and Boxes at Your Door?
Your order moves through five steps, and knowing what each one needs from you is the fastest way to keep the countdown on track.
- You send the product size, the box style and the quantity, and we return a dieline and a price within a business day or two
- You place your artwork on the dieline and approve a digital proof, which takes about three business days when your files are ready
- We make a printed sample in 7 to 10 business days, or a plain structural sample in 3 to 5 business days
- Production runs for 8 to 10 business days after approval, or 10 to 12 business days for rigid and magnetic gift boxes
- Boxes ship free across the United States and arrive within 3 to 5 business days at your warehouse or shop
Step two holds up more Christmas orders than any other step, because artwork changes late in the season. Our free dieline generator lets your designer start on the right flat before you even ask for a quote.
With the steps clear you can count back from the day you need your own boxes in hand.
How Do You Work Out Your Own Christmas Order Date?
Work out your order date by counting back from the day your first gift must leave, then subtracting packing time and the box countdown.
Start with the carrier deadlines in our guide on when to ship Christmas packages, since those set the last day any parcel can leave. Then add the days your team needs to fill boxes before that day arrives.
| Business | Boxes needed in hand | Box countdown | Right time to order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online gift shop with a Black Friday sale | About 5 weeks before Christmas | About 6 weeks for mailers | About 11 weeks before Christmas |
| Bakery selling holiday treat boxes | About 3 weeks before Christmas | About 6 weeks for folding cartons | About 9 weeks before Christmas |
| Company sending rigid client gifts | About 3 weeks before Christmas | About 6 weeks for rigid boxes | About 9 weeks before Christmas |
Take the online gift shop in the first row as an example of the method. Its sale opens about five weeks before Christmas, so the boxes must be packed and waiting by then. Six more weeks of making pushes the right order week to about eleven weeks out.
Your own dates will differ, so write down the day your first gift leaves and count back on a calendar. The type of box you choose also moves that date by a few days.
Which Christmas Boxes Take Longer to Make?
Rigid and magnetic Christmas gift boxes take two business days longer than folding cartons and mailers, because each box is wrapped by hand.
| Box style | Production time | What adds time |
|---|---|---|
| Folding carton treat box | 8 to 10 business days | Windows and inserts need a sample check |
| Printed mailer box | 8 to 10 business days | Inside print adds a second proof panel |
| Two piece rigid gift box | 10 to 12 business days | Hand wrapping and a fitted insert |
| Magnetic closure gift box | 10 to 12 business days | Magnet placement and hand wrapping |
Window boxes and inserts need a sample check because the product has to sit exactly behind the window or inside its cavity.
Foil and embossing do not change the production days, but they make a printed sample worth the wait. You can compare every style side by side on our custom Christmas boxes page before you choose.
Choosing the box is within your control, and so are most of the things that slow an order down.
Want your Christmas boxes on the countdown today?
Send your product size, box style and quantity and tell us the day you need the boxes. We return a dieline, a price and a set of dates that fit your own season.
What Slows a Christmas Box Order Down?
Most delays come from the buyer side of the order, which is good news because each one is easy to prevent with a little planning.
- Missing measurements stall a quote, so measure the product with any insert or tissue before you send the request
- Late artwork pushes the proof back, so brief your designer before the quote and not after it
- Extra proof rounds add days each time, so collect every comment from your team in one round
- Changed quantities after approval reset the schedule, so confirm the final count before production starts
- Slow sample feedback eats the buffer, so test the sample with real products on the day it arrives
Avoiding these five delays keeps you on the countdown, yet some brands still find the right time has passed.
What If You Have Already Missed the Right Time?
If Christmas is less than eight weeks away you can still get printed boxes, but you will need to trade a few extras for speed.
- Skip the printed sample and approve a plain structural sample, which saves about five business days from the countdown
- Choose a folding carton or a mailer instead of a rigid box, which saves two more business days of production
- Run one design across your sizes instead of several, so a single proof round covers the whole order
- Use a printed sleeve over a plain box for late gift sets, which keeps the brand visible while the sizes stay simple
If even the fast route runs past your date, ask us whether a split delivery fits your order. A first batch of simple mailers can cover early sales while the gift boxes follow on the full schedule.
For treats that ship in a hurry our Christmas treat boxes run on the folding carton schedule. Once the timing is settled the last planning question is how many boxes to order.
How Many Custom Christmas Boxes Should You Order?
Order the number of gifts you expect to send plus 10 to 15 percent, because a reorder in the final weeks of the year arrives too late.
Use last season as your guide if you have the numbers, and add the growth you expect from new products or new clients. Spare boxes also cover damage during packing and the late orders that always arrive.
The price per box falls at 500 and again at 1,000 units on one artwork, so a slightly larger run costs little more in total. Boxes printed without a year on them also stay useful as stock for the next Christmas season.
If you mail gifts directly to customers, our holiday mailer boxes keep the count simple because one mailer fits most gift sets.
How Do You Plan Christmas Boxes Alongside Other Holiday Packaging?
Plan Christmas boxes together with your other seasonal packaging, because one planning session covers several holidays and keeps each order on its own countdown.
Brands that sell through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year can request all three runs on one quote and stagger the delivery dates. Each design still counts as its own job with its own minimum of 100 boxes per size and design.
Booking them together means one round of measurements, one sample check and a single conversation with our team. Our Thanksgiving gift boxes and the rest of our custom event packaging boxes follow the same countdown.
New Year party boxes come last in the season and sit right after the busiest Christmas weeks. Our guide on when to order New Year gift boxes suggests adding them to the same quote. With every season on one plan the last step is placing the order itself.
How Do You Start a Christmas Box Order Today?
Start your order by sending four details through our quote form, and we reply with a dieline and a price.
- The inside size of each product, measured as shown in our guide on how to measure a box for packaging
- The box style you want, such as a mailer, a folding carton or a rigid gift box with a lid
- The quantity for each size and design, starting at 100 boxes per size and design on every style
- The day you need the boxes in hand, so we can confirm the countdown before you approve anything
If you are unsure of a size, order a plain sample first and test it with the real gift inside. Our custom packaging boxes are made in house in New Jersey, so your countdown never depends on an overseas freight schedule.
Frequently asked questions
The short version
Order custom Christmas boxes 8 to 11 weeks before Christmas, because the boxes take about six weeks to make and your team needs time to pack them.
Count back from the day your first gift leaves and choose a mailer or a carton if time is short. Then order 10 to 15 percent extra so late orders and packing damage never leave you short.
Send your sizes and quantity today and our custom packaging boxes team will confirm a countdown that fits your season.
Ready to order your custom Christmas boxes?
We print from 100 boxes per size and design with no setup fees and free shipping across the United States. Production then takes 8 to 10 business days after you approve the dieline and the proof.
