What Google shows when you skip holiday hours
Google shows holiday hours for businesses on Search and Maps. When a business hasn’t set them, Google has shown searchers a warning that its hours may differ because of the holiday.
For a homeowner with water on the kitchen floor on Christmas Eve, that warning reads as “might be closed.” They scroll to the next listing, and the next listing gets the job.
Google’s current help page puts it plainly:
- It’s a good idea to confirm your hours for official holidays, even if they’re the same as your regular hours.
- Special hours cover changes or closures of up to 6 days in a row. For 7 days or more, use Temporarily closed instead.
- Special hours only show if your profile is set to Open with main hours.
Why the holidays matter more for home service pros
State Farm’s claims data shows what a cold snap costs homeowners:
- From January 2024 to June 2025, State Farm paid more than 20,000 frozen-pipe and winter water damage claims, totaling over $628 million.
- The average claim payment was more than $30,000.
When a pipe bursts, every hour until someone gets there adds to the damage. The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s are when a lot of contractors take time off, so the pros who are reachable, and who look reachable on Google, have less competition for those calls.
The 2026 dates to confirm
- Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 26
- Day after Thanksgiving: Friday, November 27
- Christmas Eve: Thursday, December 24
- Christmas Day: Friday, December 25
- New Year’s Eve: Thursday, December 31
- New Year’s Day: Friday, January 1, 2027
Google may suggest some of these dates for you in the Special hours section. Confirm the ones it suggests, and add any it doesn’t.
Fix 01: Confirm every holiday, even the normal days
- Search your business name on Google while signed in to the account that manages your profile, then select Edit profile. (On Google Maps: Edit profile, then Business information.)
- Open the Hours tab and find Special hours.
- Add each date. Set the hours, or mark it Closed.
- Save. Google may review the change before it shows.
If you’re open your normal hours on a holiday, still add the date with those hours. That’s the part most people skip.
Fix 02: If you’re closed, say so, and say who to call
Being closed on Christmas Day is fine. Leaving people to guess isn’t.
- Mark the day Closed in Special hours, so nobody drives over or waits by the phone.
- If you take emergency calls on holidays, keep those hours listed and make sure the number on your profile reaches whoever is on call.
- Put the same holiday hours on your website’s contact page, so Google and your customers see one answer.
Only list hours you’ll actually answer. A profile that says “open” and a phone that goes to voicemail is worse than an honest “closed.”
Fix 03: Make sure someone, or something, picks up
Your holiday hours bring the call in. What happens next decides the job.
- Forward your business line to whoever is on call, and test it before Thanksgiving.
- Set up an automatic text back for missed calls, so the caller hears from you before they dial the next number.
- Change your voicemail greeting for the holidays: when you’re back and who to call for an emergency.
This week’s checklist
- Open your Google Business Profile and confirm Special hours for November 26 and 27, December 24, 25 and 31, and January 1.
- Decide which days you’ll take emergency calls, and who answers them.
- Test your call forwarding and missed-call text before Thanksgiving week.
Common questions
How do I set holiday hours on Google?Open your Business Profile, select Edit profile, go to Hours, then Special hours. Add the date, set the hours or mark it Closed, and save.
Do I need to add holiday hours if I’m open as normal?Yes. Google recommends confirming your hours for official holidays even when they’re the same as your regular hours, so customers know they’re accurate.
What if I’m closed for more than a week over the holidays?Special hours cover up to 6 days in a row. For a closure of 7 days or more, Google says to mark the business Temporarily closed instead.
How Goanna Digital handles this
On every Goanna Digital plan, your Google Business Profile is set up and managed for you. Missed calls get an instant text back, and an after-hours inquiry gets a reply when it comes in, not the next morning. Your leads, messages and jobs live in one app on your phone, so holiday calls don’t get lost.
Want this handled for you? Goanna Digital runs your website, your Google presence, your lead inbox, quoting and invoicing from one app on your phone. Book a free 15-minute call and we’ll show you how it would work for your business.
Want this handled for you?
Goanna Digital runs your website, your Google presence, your lead inbox, quoting and invoicing from one app on your phone.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help, “How to set Special hours”: https://support.google.com/business/answer/6303076
- State Farm, “Frozen pipes not so nice: beat winter water woes before they strike” (frozen-pipe and winter water damage claims, January 2024 to June 2025): https://newsroom.statefarm.com/frozen-pipes-not-so-nice-beat-winter-water-woes-before-they-strike/
- Fortune, “How to Avoid Stores and Restaurants Closed for the Holidays” (December 24, 2015), on Google’s holiday-hours warning: https://fortune.com/2015/12/24/google-holiday-hours