12 Out-of-Office Message Templates for Holidays

Going away for the holidays? Don’t forget to set up your holiday out-of-office message! An out-of-office message lets clients and coworkers who email you know you’re away and sets realistic expectations for when you’ll reply.

But you don’t need to create one from scratch. Through the Holiday Out-Of-Office Messages Public Group, you get access to twelve ready-made (but totally customizable) out-of-office replies. All you need to do is pick one, customize it to your needs, and expand.

A holiday out-of-office message prevents email anxiety

Clients and coworkers expect to get a reply within a few hours of sending you an email. If you go on vacation, it could be weeks before they hear back from you.

At the very least, your silence will make them anxious. At the worst, it will be mistaken for digital snubbery, a lack of interest, or even negligence.

Setting up a holiday out-of-office message shows that you’re conscientious and organized, and provides people with the information they need to get their needs met while you’re away.

Holiday out-of-office message templates

Based on their style and content, we grouped our ready-made out-of-office messages into the following categories:

1) Basic
2) Call-if-you-need-to
3) Ultra-brief
4) Friendly
5) Internal 
6) Company holiday
7) Festive

Some categories have several snippet options; others have just one. All snippets are available through the Public Group Holiday Out Of Office Messages. To gain access, visit the group page and click Subscribe.

Basic out-of-office messages

Our Basic out-of-office replies list the essentials: the reason you’re away; the date you’ll be back; and who to contact in your absence. You can choose from one of four variations:

Basic holiday out-of-office message #1

(Abbreviation: em.v1booo)

Thanks for your email. I will be out of the office [start date] – [end date]. If you need assistance while I am away, please contact [name] at [email] or [phone]. Otherwise, I will respond to your email when I return.

Sample message:

Thanks for your email. I will be out of the office Dec 1-Jan 3. If you need assistance while I am away, please contact Tim at tim@gmail.com or 510-555-0103. Otherwise, I will respond to your email when I return.

Basic holiday out-of-office message #2

(Abbreviation: em.v2booo)

Thank you for your message. I am out of the office / away on vacation until [date] and will have limited email access while I am away. If you need immediate assistance, please contact [name], at [email] or [phone]. Otherwise, I will respond to your email when I return.

Sample message:

Thank you for your message. I am away on vacation until Jan 3 and will have limited email access while I am away. If you need immediate assistance, please contact Cynthia at cynthia@hey.com or 946-555-6319. Otherwise, I will respond to your email when I return.

Basic holiday out-of-office message #3

(Abbreviation: em.v3booo)

Thanks for reaching out. I will be away until [date]. If you need help with [topic] in the meantime, please contact [name] at [email]. Otherwise, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. 

Sample message:

Thanks for reaching out. I will be away until Jan 3. In the meantime, if you need help with billing, please contact Jack at jack@gmail.com. Otherwise, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. 

Basic holiday out-of-office message #4

(Abbreviation: em.v4booo)

I am away on vacation [start date]-[end date] and plan to disconnect from email during that time. If your message can wait, I will respond as soon as I return. For urgent matters, please contact [role] [name] at [email] or [phone].

Sample message:

I am away on vacation Dec 1-Jan 3 and plan to disconnect from email during that time. If your message can wait, I will respond as soon as I return. For urgent matters, please contact Strategic Partnerships Manager Stacy at stacy@gmail.com or 946-555-5555.

Call-if-you-need-to out-of-office messages

In addition to fulfilling the basic requirements of an OOO message, these call-me-if-you-need-to templates provide those who emailed you with a phone number in case of an emergency.

Call-if-you-need-to holiday out-of-office message #5

(Abbreviation: em.callooo)

Thank you for your message. I am out of the office with no email access. I will be back on [date]. If you need immediate assistance before then, you may reach me at [phone number].

Sample message:

Thank you for your message. I am out of the office, with no email access. I will be back on Jan 3. If you need immediate assistance before then, you may reach me at (451) 555-0190.

Call-if-you-need-to holiday out-of-office message #6

(Abbreviation: em.v2callooo)

Thank you for reaching out. I am currently on vacation, with no email access. I will be back on [date]. If you need urgent help, you can reach me at [phone number].

Sample message:

Thank you for reaching out. I am currently on vacation, with no email access. I will be back on Jan 3. If you need urgent help, you can reach me at 510-555-0197.

Ultra-brief out-of-office messages

Come the holiday season, who has the time to read lengthy messages? Spare email recipients from unnecessary details with these straight-to-the-point out-of-the-office messages.

Ultra-brief holiday out-of-office message #7

(Abbreviation: em.v1brooo)

I will be away from [start date – end date]. For urgent matters, you can email [name] at [email address].

Sample message:

I will be away from Dec 1 – Jan 3. For urgent matters, you can email David at david@david.com.

Ultra-brief holiday out-of-office message #8

(Abbreviation: em.v2brooo)

I will be away from [start date – end date]. If it’s urgent, you can email [name] at [email address]. 

Sample message:

I will be away from Dec 1 – Jan 3. If it’s urgent, you can email Harry at harry@harry.com.

Friendly out-of-office message

Busy AND bubbly? We have just the OOO message you need. Get your holiday out of the office message up and running in no time without losing any bit of your friendly personality. 

Friendly holiday out-of-office message #9

(Abbreviation: em.frooo)

Thanks for reaching out! I’m currently [describe what you’re doing] and will be taking a break from email to [bigger reason]. I’ll respond to all my messages as soon as I’m back in the office on [date]. If you need help before then, please email my [role], [name], at [email address].

Sample message:

Thanks for reaching out! I’m currently visiting family and will be taking a break from email to relax and enjoy the holidays. I’ll respond to all my messages as soon as I’m back in the office on Monday, Jan 3. If you need help before then, please email my coworker, Tina, at tina@hey.com.

Internal out-of-office message

When you need an out-of-office message for the folks inside the office, this is the one to use. It includes the essentials of an OOO reply, plus directions for where to find information about a project you’ve been working on and the contact details of a team member who can also provide help.

Internal holiday out-of-office message #10

(Abbreviation: em.intooo)

I’m out of the office until [end date] and will respond to emails when I return. If you need to access the [materials] for the [project], they can be found in [location]. If you need something urgent, please contact [name].

Sample message:

I’m out of the office until Jan 3 and will respond to emails when I return. If you need to access the January posts for the blog, they can be found in Drive>Blog>January 2021. If you need something urgent, please contact Suzie.

Company holiday

If you need a holiday out-of-office message for the team or company as a whole, this is a good one to use. With pop-up options and optional text, it can be customized to meet your needs.

Company holiday out-of-office message #11

(Abbreviation: em.holiday)

We are closed / on vacation until [date]. We will respond to your message when we are back to work on [date]. (Optional) If you have an emergency, however, you can reach [name] at [phone].

Sample messages:

We are closed until Dec. 26. We will respond to your message when we are back to work on Monday, Dec. 27. If you have an emergency, however, you can reach us at 825-333-5858.

Festive out-of-office message

Did you say festive? Our festive OOO comes with all the holiday cheer you can fit in a short reply.

Festive holiday out-of-office message #12

(Abbreviation: em.festooo)

[Festive greetings]
I’m currently away from my inbox [holiday activity]. I’ll be back on [date] and will respond to your message then. If you need immediate assistance, please email [name]  at [email address].
[Festive signoff] 

Sample message:

Season’s greetings!
I’m currently away from my inbox watching corny holiday movies. I’ll be back on Jan 3 and will respond to your message then. If you need immediate assistance, please send your email to Chelsea at chelsea@chelsea.com.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season,

Bonus: Holidays greetings + sign-offs for emails

To help you get into the holiday spirit even before you go away, we created a Public Group for Festive Phrases, too. In it, you’ll find pop-up style snippets you can start using in messages today.  

Snippet #1

(Abbreviation: ;festgreet)

1. Season’s greetings!
2. Happy holidays!
3. Greetings,

Snippet #2

(Abbreviation: ;festoff)

1. Best wishes for a happy holiday season,
2. Happy ho-ho-holidays!
3. Happy holidays,
4. Have a wonderful holiday and a happy new year, 
5. Sending wishes for a happy holiday season,
6. Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season,

Choose your holiday out-of-office message

Setting up a holiday out-of-office message sets off your vacation to a great start. But you don’t need to create your out-of-office reply from scratch. Instead, subscribe to the Public Group Holiday Out-Of-Office Messages and choose from 12 ready-made out-of-office reply templates.

Oh, and if you’re feeling festive, subscribe to the Festive Phrases group to gain access to holiday greetings and festive sign-offs.