Holiday booking, the thread
What goes on a hair stylist holiday booking checklist?
A holiday booking checklist sets your last working day, blocks your own days off, checks service lengths and buffers, books regulars first, and prepares a kind "full until" reply and a cancellation list before the requests arrive. Seven lines, about a minute each.
Decide December once, in November. Then just answer messages.
Download the checklist + December 2026 planner (PDF, 2 pages)No sign-up. Print it and stick it by the mirror.
Holiday salon booking questions
When should hair stylists start holiday booking?
Many stylists open holiday booking in October or early November, once they know their own days off. The checklist above works whenever you start; the earlier you block your own days, the fewer awkward reschedules later.
How do I tell clients I'm fully booked for the holidays?
Keep it short and give them something: "I'm full until December 28. My first openings after that are the 29th at 10 or 2. Want me to add you to my cancellation list too?"
Should I take new clients in December?
That is your call. A common approach is regulars first, then new clients only into slots that are still open after regulars have answered.
How do I handle holiday cancellations?
Decide your policy before December and tell clients when they book. Keep a cancellation list so a gap can be offered to someone waiting.
Is the printable free?
Yes. It is a direct PDF download, two pages, no sign-up: the 7-item checklist and a December 2026 week planner.
Can BookingSolved take deposits or holiday prices?
No. BookingSolved stores service names, durations and buffers but no prices, and it does not take payments. It turns client messages into Apple Calendar bookings and replies that you approve and send.
Who should skip BookingSolved
If you want clients to pick their own slot from a public booking page, use a booking-page tool such as Square Appointments, which offers a free customer booking website. If you need deposits or card payments at booking, BookingSolved does neither. If your calendar is Google Calendar or a salon system rather than Apple Calendar, it will not fit. BookingSolved is for stylists whose clients already text, and who want to keep it that way.
A Sunday night in December
An example, not a customer story. Eleven messages since Friday. "Any chance of the 23rd?" "Can I move to earlier?" "Are you free before Christmas?" The planner on the mirror says the 24th is the last day and the 23rd is full. The full-up reply is already written. Each message gets pasted into BookingSolved, which checks Apple Calendar and drafts either a booking, a few open times, or the "full until the 28th" answer. Reviewed, approved, sent. Ten minutes instead of an hour.
The hard part of December is not the cutting. It is the answering.
How it works in 3 steps
- Share the message. Paste the client's text, choose a screenshot or use the Share Sheet. Only what you choose is read, on your iPhone.
- Check the details. Service, date, time and duration are found and checked against Apple Calendar using each service's length and buffer. Anything unclear, like "next Friday", is flagged instead of guessed.
- Approve and reply. Nothing changes in your Calendar until you approve. A reply is ready in a Friendly, Professional or Concise tone, and you send it yourself.
Honest limits
- Your first 3 completed actions are free. BookingSolved Pro (monthly or yearly) adds unlimited bookings, reschedules and cancellations. Undo is always free.
- No prices stored, no deposits, no payments. Your holiday pricing lives somewhere else.
- Apple Calendar only, and iOS 18 or later. Works on iPhone and iPad.
- It never reads your conversations in the background and never contacts clients. You share each message and send each reply.
One design decision we made: when the time a client asks for is taken, BookingSolved offers nearby alternatives rather than just saying no. In December, "not the 23rd, but the 22nd at 4?" keeps the client.
Your checklist result
Tick the seven lines at the top of the page. When the ring closes, your December rules are set: last day, days off, service lengths, buffers, regulars, the reply and the list. Print the planner to keep it in sight.
Play free on iPhone before the rush
Paste one holiday request tonight and see the booking and reply it prepares. Play free on iPhone: BookingSolved on the App Store.
Related
- BookingSolved: client booking from the messages you already getPaste a client's booking text and BookingSolved checks Apple Calendar, prepares the appointment and drafts your reply. You approve every step.
- Scheduling cleaning clients over the holidaysHoliday cleaning requests pile up fast. Work out how many cleans you can still fit, answer the common questions, and reply to clients from your iPhone.
- How to stop double booking clients when they book by textWhy solo pros double book clients who text, the 6 usual causes, and a fix for each. Tap a cause to see what stops it. Free on iPhone.
- Scheduling tutoring sessions with parents, by textParents text 'Can we do Thursday at 4?' all week. A calmer way for private tutors to turn those messages into calendar bookings and replies.