Holiday corporate gifting deadlines for 2026

Every December, the same email arrives on the 18th: “Can we get 150 boards by the 23rd?” Sometimes the answer is yes. Usually the answer is “if you had asked two weeks ago”. This post is the two-weeks-ago version, with the dates that make holiday gifting calm.

The dates below are for Northmark logo boards, engraved in Vancouver and shipped free across Canada within 48 hours of the order. Other suppliers have their own cut-offs; the principle is the same.

Order-by dates for delivery before December 24

• British Columbia: order by Wednesday, December 16.
• Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba: order by Monday, December 14.
• Ontario and Quebec: order by Friday, December 11.
• Atlantic Canada and the territories: order by Wednesday, December 9.
• Bundles of 96 or more, any province: order five business days earlier than the dates above.
• United States: order by Tuesday, December 8.

Why the dates are earlier for bigger orders

Engraving is the fast part. A single logo takes a few minutes per board. What takes time at volume is checking every board, packing in twelves, and getting a pallet-sized shipment collected. Bundles of 12 to 48 go out within 48 hours all season. At 96 and up we schedule the run, which is why those orders want an extra week.

Couriers also slow down. From the second week of December, transit times across Canada stretch by a day or two, so a board that normally reaches Toronto in four days can take six.

What to have ready before you order

• Your logo as a vector file (SVG, AI, EPS or PDF). A high-resolution PNG works if that is all you have.
• The quantity, in bundles of 12. If you are between tiers, round up: a spare board always finds a home.
• The engraving placement: bottom right, centre bottom, centre or horizontal centre.
• One shipping address. If you need boards split across offices, contact us before ordering.
• Any wording beside the logo (“Thank you for 2026”, a tagline, the year). Keep it short; it is engraved at the same size as the logo.

If you have missed the date

Contact us. Small bundles can often still make it, especially within BC, and we will tell you honestly what will and will not arrive in time. If it will not, a board that arrives in the first week of January with a “thank you for last year” line lands better than a rushed gift that arrives late without one.

Plan next year in October

The companies who find this easy do the same thing every year: they approve artwork in October, order in November, and hand out boards in the first week of December before people scatter. If you want a reminder next year, email us in September and we will send one.