Order by December 12: Custom Gifts That Still Arrive for Christmas
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Made-to-order gifts have a date after which the maths stops working. For us that date is December 12, and it is not a marketing deadline — it is the last day the worst case still lands before Christmas.
Where the date comes from
| Stage | Time |
|---|---|
| Production: cut, deburr, powder coat, cure | 2-5 business days |
| US shipping | 3-7 days |
| Worst case total | about 12 days |
December 12 plus twelve days is December 24. Every day earlier is margin, and in the last two weeks of December margin is the only thing that helps, because carrier volumes are at their annual peak and nothing about that is within our control.
The three deadlines
- December 5 — custom one-off designs. The proof step adds days, and the proof only moves when you reply to it.
- December 12 — standard personalized signs. The last comfortable date.
- After December 12 — order for the person rather than for the date. See below.
What to order when time is tight
Choose fewer characters
A last name alone moves faster through proofing than a name with a year and a phrase. Fewer characters, fewer questions.
Choose a standard size
Larger pieces ship in larger cartons, which move more slowly and are more likely to be delayed in December.
Choose black
It is the most common finish, it suits every wall, and it is never the thing that holds an order up.
Dependable choices: the Classic Family Name Sign, the Christmas Tree Monogram Sign and the Merry Christmas Script Sign.
Get the spelling right the first time
We cut exactly what you type, character for character, and we do not autocorrect. In December there is no time for a re-cut, so check the spelling against something written — an envelope, an email signature — rather than from memory. This is the single most common cause of a Christmas order missing its date.
Custom work and the proof step
A custom design from your own photo, logo or sketch starts at $69 and follows one extra stage: we email you a digital proof and cut nothing until you approve it. That step is what prevents an expensive mistake in metal, and it is also why the custom deadline is a week earlier.
If you order custom work in December, watch your email. A proof sitting unanswered for three days is three days of the schedule gone, and that is the difference between the 23rd and the 27th.
After the cutoff
Order anyway, and say so. A personalized piece arriving in the first week of January with a note explaining what is coming beats a substitute bought in a hurry on December 22. The gift is about the person, and the person will still be there in January.
Our full Christmas gift guide covers what to give, sorted by recipient.
Shop the signs in this guide
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