Featured on this episode:

• Grab Your Free Script Guide here
• Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here

What you will learn from this episode:

• Set realistic holiday expectations without guaranteeing deadlines outside your control.
• Connect decisions to consequences so clients understand how today’s choices affect holiday plans.
• Plan for the holiday shutdown with clear communication, confirmed schedules, and documented next steps.

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I used to promise my clients that their decorating projects would be finished by Christmas. I thought if I planned far enough ahead, stayed on top of the workrooms, and scheduled everything carefully, I could make it happen.

Then one Christmas Eve, I found myself crawling around underneath a fully decorated Christmas tree.

Yes, you read that correctly.

A client had ordered beautiful custom curtains for her living room. Five windows, including a very large double window, with silk fabrics, interlining, trim, and custom hardware. It was a substantial installation, and we’d already moved the date because the workroom was running behind.

By the time we arrived on Christmas Eve, a floor-to-ceiling Christmas tree stood directly in front of the main window. My client was happily singing Christmas carols and baking cookies in the kitchen. She had no idea the tree would be a problem.

And I hadn’t thought to ask.

The Christmas Eve Installation That Changed Everything

There I was, on my belly, trying to move this enormous tree a few inches at a time without breaking ornaments or damaging the floors. My entire team had Christmas Eve plans, as did I, and we were all running late. We finished just before her guests arrived.

I was furious. Mostly with myself.

After all, I was the one who had promised a Christmas installation in the first place.

That was the last time I ever guaranteed a holiday deadline. It’s a lesson I want every interior designer to understand.

Holiday project deadlines require more than a carefully planned schedule. They require realistic expectations, clear communication, and an understanding of everything that could affect the work.

Because a holiday deadline is one thing. Promising something you cannot control is another.

Why Holiday Project Deadlines Should Be Goals, Not Guarantees

When a client tells me they want their decorating project completed by the holidays, I don’t automatically say no. However, I also don’t promise something I cannot control.

Instead, I tell them it’s a great goal. We’ll work toward it together and have a better understanding of what’s achievable as the project progresses.

Then I explain why.

Custom workrooms get backed up. Suppliers run out of fabric. Materials arrive damaged or incorrect. Freight gets delayed, and installers have limited availability.

You can plan carefully, but you cannot eliminate every variable.

With decorating projects, partial completion often doesn’t help. If the curtains aren’t installed, the curtains aren’t installed. It doesn’t matter that the fabric arrived on time or the hardware is ready.

I’d much rather establish realistic expectations at the beginning than apologize later for a deadline I should never have guaranteed.

Find Out What Your Client Actually Means by “the Holidays”

Here’s another mistake I made early in my career.

A client told me she wanted her project finished by Christmas. I agreed, thinking December 25th was our deadline.

A few weeks later, I learned she was hosting a Christmas party the first weekend in December.

Those are two very different dates!

There was no possible way to make up those missing weeks. I had to go back on my commitment and have an uncomfortable conversation. One simple question could have prevented the entire situation.

Now, I ask for specifics.

Is the client hosting Thanksgiving? Do they have a holiday party scheduled? Will family be coming to stay? Which rooms do they need, and how do they plan to use them?

I also want to know whether decorations, furniture, or a Christmas tree might interfere with installation.

It may seem like a lot of questions. However, every answer gives me information I need to plan appropriately.

You cannot manage a client’s holiday expectations if you haven’t established what those expectations actually are.

Construction Projects Bring Different Challenges

Decorating and construction projects both face holiday deadlines, but they don’t face the same challenges.

On an active construction project, the holidays interrupt the rhythm of the work itself. Trades take time off, deliveries slow down, and the people responsible for decisions may be unavailable.

When January arrives, everyone has to get back into the flow of the project.

Before I start talking about schedules with the contractor, though, I want to understand what the holidays mean for the homeowner.

Are they living in the house during construction? Do they need a functioning kitchen for Thanksgiving? Are their children coming home from college? Will additional people be staying in the house while work continues?

A family might manage construction relatively well for months. Then the holidays arrive, everyone comes home, and the situation suddenly becomes much more difficult.

I’ve even had a client decorate the portable toilet on her front lawn with Christmas lights. She figured if she had to look at it, she might as well make it festive.

I loved that.

She could laugh about it because she understood what was coming. The situation didn’t catch her off guard.

That’s what we’re trying to accomplish with these conversations.

Explain Why Today’s Decisions Affect the Holiday Schedule

This is where I think designers can make an enormous difference.

Your contractor needs drawings, selections, approvals, and clarifications to keep work moving. You may understand how those decisions affect the construction schedule, but your client probably doesn’t.

Let’s say you need a flooring selection by August 1st.

To your client, that’s an August decision. Thanksgiving is months away, so they may not understand the urgency.

But perhaps the flooring has an eight-week lead time.

If the client doesn’t approve the selection, the contractor can’t order the material. Without the flooring, the next phase of work can’t move forward. Suddenly, the room the family expected to use for Thanksgiving won’t be ready.

That’s the information your client needs.

Don’t just tell them a decision is due. Explain what happens if they miss that deadline and how it affects the things that matter to them.

When I lay out those consequences clearly, my clients respond. They understand why I’m asking and can make an informed decision.

A date on a schedule means very little without the context behind it.

Sometimes You Can Change the Sequence, but There’s a Trade-Off

Let’s say your client’s renovation won’t be complete by Thanksgiving. Everyone understands that. However, they’re hosting family and would love to have one guest bedroom and bathroom ready.

Is that possible?

Maybe.

Getting those spaces finished early could mean bringing the plumber back for an additional visit. Other trades might also need to work outside their normal sequence. Both changes can create extra costs and coordination challenges.

I don’t make that decision for the client. Nor do I automatically dismiss the idea because it complicates the project.

First, I talk with the contractor. I find out what’s possible, what would need to change, and what it would cost.

Then I give the homeowner that information.

It’s their house, their holiday, and their money. My responsibility is to make sure they understand the options and the trade-offs. From there, they can decide what matters most.

Prepare for Weather, Vacations, and the January Restart

As we approach the end of the year, understanding everyone’s availability becomes increasingly important.

I include my own vacation dates in my weekly Friday project updates as soon as I confirm them. And I don’t mention them just once.

I repeat those dates because I cannot assume everyone read the first email or remembered what it said.

The contractor and I also discuss when the trades will be away and when they expect to return.

If the electrician won’t return until January 2nd, that matters. The homeowner’s travel plans matter too, especially if they’ll be unavailable to approve a decision.

Winter weather adds another challenge. I want to know how the contractor plans to handle snow or other conditions that could shut down the job site.

These aren’t things I want to discover after everyone has left town.

Before the holiday break, I also want a clear record of completed work, outstanding items, approved decisions, and the person responsible for each next step.

If the project is nearly finished, I want an actual punch list that everyone has reviewed and acknowledged.

“We’re basically done” is not the same thing as knowing exactly what’s left.

Clear documentation makes it much easier to get everyone moving again in January.

Your Clients Should Never Be Surprised

Here’s what I want you to take away from all of this.

You don’t have to finish every project before the holidays. Sometimes that simply isn’t possible, no matter how carefully everyone plans.

But your client should know what to expect.

They should understand which spaces will be available, which decisions still need attention, what the team is working toward, and what happens when everyone returns after the break.

Clients should also know their options if something important to them won’t be ready.

My projects don’t go perfectly. I don’t know anyone whose projects do. However, I work very hard to make sure my clients are never surprised.

I tell them what’s happening, explain the consequences, and give them options. Most importantly, I have uncomfortable conversations while there’s still time to do something about the situation.

So if you have an active project right now, think about the one assumption that could create the biggest problem over the holidays.

Maybe your client thinks a room will be ready. Perhaps you’re assuming a trade will return on a certain date. Or everyone thinks someone else has already confirmed a decision.

Find out this week.

Because a project doesn’t have to be finished for everyone to have a clear, realistic plan for getting through the holidays.

And that is a much better gift to your clients than a promise you can’t keep.

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Like this Episode?

Be sure to check out Episode #154: From Holiday Stress to Project Success

Be sure to check out Episode #97: How to Manage the Holidays and Gift Giving Tips

Be sure to check out Episode #46: Prepping for the Holidays – Even During Construction! with Jill Kalman