When to Order Holiday Awards and Employee Gifts

By Vincent Nero, CRP, Vice President and General Manager · October 1, 2026

Ordering holiday gifts and awards for your team, and not sure how early is early enough? It depends on what you're personalizing. For a holiday party on Friday, December 11, Successories needs your order by Thursday, December 3 for an engraved award with a name on one of our designs, by Tuesday, December 1 if the award carries your logo, and by Monday, November 23 for logo apparel. Every award and gift we make for the holidays is counted back from the party date below, so you can find your item and see your deadline.

The quickest path is a name on one of our designs, which skips the proof and goes straight into production. When the award carries your logo, your design or a detailed message, we send a proof first so it comes out exactly the way you pictured it, and the day you approve that proof becomes the date that sets your delivery.

Holiday Lead Times by Award and Gift Type

Blank certificates ship the next business day, engraved drinkware is ready in 2, and Successories crystal, glass, acrylic and wood awards are ready in 5. Here's the latest order date for each one, counted back from a December 11 party.

These dates assume 1-day shipping and a proof approved the day it arrives, with Thanksgiving off. Ground delivery adds 3 to 5 business days, and you'll find every method with our shipping options. Building in 1 extra day before the party keeps the celebration stress-free.

How the Award Proof Gets Your Custom Order Right

Our designs are already set, so adding a name needs no proof at all. Your own logo, design or detailed message is one of a kind, so we create a proof and you see exactly how it will look before we make it. You will receive a proof for your approval before production within 2 business days.

From there, a custom order moves on 2 clocks. Production is the steady one: 5 business days for a crystal award, in December just like in March. The artwork clock is where you can gain time, and it moves as fast as 3 things reach us: a vector logo file (.eps or .ai), the final wording and your sign-off. If your logo only exists as a low resolution JPG, we reformat it for $25 and keep your order moving. Our guide to choosing a recognition award walks through the same 2-day proof and 5-day production cycle.

The proof is also where every name gets its final check, and catching a typo there costs nothing. If one ever slips through an approved proof, we replace the award at a discount. Your proof approval ensures every custom award is engraved accurately, exactly as you signed off on it.

Last Minute Corporate Gifts and Rush Awards

Running short on time? Last minute corporate gifts are well within reach. Blank certificates ship the next business day and engraved drinkware with a name is ready in 2, so both fit comfortably inside a week of your party. A name on one of our award designs skips the proof and starts production the day you order.

For awards, Successories rush service can turn a custom piece around in about a week. We rush the proof or you waive it, which saves 1 to 2 days, production runs 3 days, and overnight shipping covers the rest. Rush is quoted per order against your date and our production schedule, and our team will tell you exactly what's possible. Logo apparel and imprinted drinkware run on their standard times, so those are the ones to order first.

Ordering Holiday Gifts for a Large Team

A big team order comes together smoothly when the name list is right from the start. Each name gets checked once before anything is engraved, on the proof for a logo order or on the order form for names on our designs. Matching each name to your HR records, rather than to the email that requested it, catches nicknames, hyphens and recent name changes before they reach production.

Holiday delivery is reliable, too. ShipMatrix found carriers kept their delivery promises last December, UPS on 97.2% of packages, FedEx on 95.3% and the Postal Service on 94.1%. For a large order, 1 shipment makes the most of that: send 300 gifts to 300 homes and a handful (8 to 18 at those rates) may arrive after the promised date, while 1 delivery to your office arrives together and is easy to track. For gifts going straight to homes, the Postal Service recommends sending by December 17 with Ground Advantage, or December 18 with Priority Mail, for delivery before December 25.

Whether you're ordering 1 piece or 10,000, Successories has you covered. Awards and in-stock gifts have no minimum, logo apparel and engraved drinkware start at a single piece, and imprinted drinkware has a minimum. Our bulk employee gifts and employee holiday gifts are built for exactly these orders, and our year-end employee recognition ideas cover the celebration itself.

Holiday Ordering FAQs