Holiday hours
Three ways to handle a holiday
Goldenhour gives you three tools: pick the right one per holiday so the booking page tells the truth + you don't get inbound bookings on days you meant to be off.
The three tools
Time-block a few hours
When to use
Short break (3-6 hours) mid-day. Lunch meeting, kid pickup, doctor's appointment. Single day's calendar disruption.
How
Calendar → click the time range → Block time. Set a reason (visible only to you). Booking page shows those hours as unavailable; existing appointments aren't affected.
Custom hours for the date range
When to use
Holiday weekend (Memorial Day, Labor Day, July 4 weekend). Different hours from your standard, but still some availability.
How
Settings → Hours → 'Add an override' → Set the date range + the custom hours for those days. After the range, your standard hours resume automatically.
Full vacation block
When to use
Multi-day off (Thanksgiving week, Christmas-New Year's, full vacation). No bookings; auto-responder; the works.
How
See /help/vacation-coverage for the 30-min pre-vacation checklist. Combines a calendar block + an auto-responder + a 30-day-ahead client announcement.
Common US holiday patterns
Reference (set 90 days ahead)
| Holiday | Typical pattern (solo artists) |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day (Jan 1) | Closed all day |
| Valentine's Day (Feb 14) | Open with promo / busy day |
| Easter Sunday (varies) | Closed; reopen Monday |
| Mother's Day weekend (May) | Open + extra slots for gifts |
| Memorial Day weekend | Reduced hours Sun-Mon |
| July 4 + weekend | Closed July 4; reduced Friday |
| Labor Day weekend | Reduced Sat-Mon |
| Thanksgiving + Black Friday | Closed Thu-Fri; busy Sat |
| Christmas Eve / Day / 26 | Closed Dec 24-26 typical |
| New Year's Eve / Day | Closed both, busy Dec 30 |
Set them all at once
Once a year, sit down + set holiday overrides for the whole next 12 months. Settings → Hours → Add overrides for each known holiday. 30 minutes of planning saves 10+ "wait, are you open?" inbound messages.
Pair with /help/seasonal-promotions for the holidays you want to capture revenue on (Valentine's, Mother's Day, holiday-party prep).