It’s Not Too Late to Capitalize on Christmas Sales: Simple Campaigns You Can Launch in 48 Hours
It is December 17th. You have 8 days until Christmas. While everyone else is mentally clocking out, you still have time to run a hard, clean push that could be the difference-maker for your year. Adventure businesses like RV dealers, bike shops, and tour operators are quietly leaving money on the table by ignoring last-minute gift buyers. You do not need a 90-day campaign right now. You need one or two simple plays you can stand up in the next 48 hours that move cash this week.
Why This Moment Matters
Last-minute gift buyers are actively hunting for “experiences, not stuff” and gear that supports the trips they are already dreaming about for next year. For adventure brands, that means gift cards, guided tours, season passes, curated gear bundles, and big-ticket “gift experiences” like multi-day RV trips or premium service packages. Your audience is already thinking about adventure. They just need permission and a frictionless way to buy from you right now. Most adventure businesses stay oddly quiet in this window, which means even one focused, well-executed push from you will stand out in crowded feeds and inboxes.
Campaign #1: The Gift Card Blitz
This is your fastest path to revenue: a 48-hour social and email blitz selling digital gift cards that arrive instantly and never get caught in shipping delays. Digital adventure gift cards solve the procrastinator’s panic of “I still do not have a gift” while offering high perceived value and nearly zero fulfillment friction on your side.
In practice, you can launch this with two emails, one today and one around December 19–20, using simple, direct subject lines like “Last-minute gift that will not arrive late” or “Give the gift of [your adventure type].” In the body, show two or three price tiers and what each level unlocks, such as trips, rentals, tune-ups, or passes, plus a one-click checkout link. Your social support can be three to four quick carousel posts featuring the card designs, the kinds of experiences they buy, and one or two short customer quotes or star reviews. A single landing page or even a tightened-up section on your existing site can do the job, as long as it clearly explains options, benefits, and how to buy in under a minute. With focused effort, this is a three to four hour build that can generate sales for the rest of the week.
Campaign #2: The Stocking Stuffer Bundle
Not every buyer wants to drop hundreds on a gift. Many are specifically looking for that fifteen to fifty dollar stocking stuffer that still feels thoughtful and on-brand for the adventurer in their life. This is where a simple bundle comes in: think discount vouchers, small branded gear, basic how-to guides, pass upgrades, or add-ons they can redeem later.
Keep this simple by creating one or two named bundles like “The Trail Starter Pack” for bike shops or “Winter Rider’s Bundle” focusing on cold-weather add-ons. Photograph the bundle once, laid out on a workbench or counter, not overproduced, and write a one-line description you can reuse on Instagram, Facebook, and in an email. Offer a straightforward promo code valid from roughly December 17 to 25 to nudge quick action without turning your brand into a discount machine. Total lift is two to three hours of work, and you suddenly have something easy for customers to grab when they “just need one more thing” for the outdoor lover in their life.
Campaign #3: The “Big Adventure” Gift
For every stocking stuffer shopper, there is someone looking for a “wow” gift: the once-a-year splurge that becomes a core memory. That might be a multi-day guided tour, a premium RV rental package, a season-long service pass, or a top-tier bike fitting and build. Your job is to position these as the “big adventure” gifts that serious adventurers secretly hope are under the tree.
Start by picking two or three hero offers you would be thrilled to sell more of. Then, pull together a thirty to sixty second teaser video from footage and photos you already have, such as real customers in the wild, guides in action, trails, campsites, or shop moments. It does not need to be polished; authenticity sells better than a glossy ad in this space. Share that video across your channels with a clear call to action like “Book by December 20 for holiday delivery” or “Gift certificate delivered by December 24.” Follow up with a single, dedicated email to your past customer list showcasing the experience, why it is special, and exactly how to buy a gift version. With three to four hours of focused effort, you can have a premium holiday offer live and ready to capture high-ticket, last-minute buyers.
Campaign #4: The Urgency Play
All of these campaigns work better with a clear, honest sense of timing. The urgency play is not about pressure. It is about spelling out real deadlines such as digital gift card cutoffs, booking windows, limited seats, or shipping realities. Done right, it creates healthy fear of missing out and helps buyers make a decision instead of endlessly scrolling.
You can implement this quickly by adding countdown language to email subject lines and headers, such as “48 hours left for digital delivery” or “Book by December 20 for pre-Christmas confirmation.” On social, mention concrete constraints like “Last 3 spaces for our December 28–30 trip, book now” or “Gift by December 22 for guaranteed arrival in their inbox before Christmas.” If you have an opted-in SMS list, one short, benefit-driven text about your strongest offer can cut through the noise. This is a one to two hour layer you can add on top of your other campaigns that meaningfully lifts conversions.
Execution Checklist / Quick-Start Template
To keep this from turning into another good idea you never launched, work from a tiny, focused checklist. Choose which one or two campaigns fit your reality right now, such as gift cards plus stocking stuffers if you are retail-heavy, or big adventure plus urgency if you lead with trips and experiences. Pull your warmest assets first, including your email list, past customers, and social followers, and build three to five pieces of content, such as emails, posts, a landing snippet or simple graphics, that you can reuse all week. Then set send times for your first email today or tomorrow, with social running through December 24, and track link clicks, purchases, and revenue tied to each campaign so you know what to repeat next year.
The real win in this window is not perfect.
It is launched campaigns that talk directly to where your customers are right now: stressed, short on time, and still wanting to give something meaningful. Skip the generic holiday stock art and copy. Show the real mud, the real guides, the real trails, and the real rigs sitting on your lot ready for adventure. If you are an RV dealer, bike shop, or tour operator and you are not sure which lever to pull first, Aspen can help you stand up one of these campaigns in 48 hours so you are not leaving money on the table in the final stretch. Which of these campaigns would actually move the needle for your business this week? Comment, reply, or reach out, and then get one live.
Want more? Download this guide with 50 more ideas to get you started.
Aspen Creative Co is a digital marketing agency specializing in branding, video and content creation, and storytelling for adventure and outdoor industry clients in St. Louis, Missouri and beyond. We're passionate about adventure, storytelling, and bringing your ideas to life.