December fills fast. Block your time off before clients do.

December is a strange month to book. Some clients want a tattoo before a trip or a party, some want to give one as a gift, and a few will cancel at the last minute because the month got away from them. Meanwhile you want a few days off and a January that does not start with a pile of unanswered requests.

Early November is when to set it up.

Block your days off first

Before you offer a single December date, mark the days you are not working. Holidays, travel, the day after your shop party. Once those are on the calendar, everything else gets booked around them instead of into them.

It is much easier to hold a day you blocked in November than to explain in mid-December why you suddenly cannot do one you already offered.

Decide how you handle gift tattoos

Someone will ask to buy a tattoo for someone else. The simplest version that works:

• The person getting tattooed sends the request themselves, so you get their idea, placement, and references
• The person giving it covers the deposit, and you note it on the booking
• The rest is settled at the appointment, like any other session

It keeps the design decision with the person wearing it, which is where it belongs.

Plan for healing over the holidays

A fresh tattoo and a beach trip, a hot tub, or a week of travel do not mix well. Ask about plans when you book, and say in your aftercare notes what to avoid in the first couple of weeks. It saves you a touch-up and saves them a disappointing heal.

Have a waitlist for cancellations

December cancellations happen. If you keep a short list of clients who said they could come in on short notice, a cancelled Thursday becomes a booked Thursday instead of an empty one. Ask when you book: "Want me to text you if something opens up earlier?"

Set expectations for January

If your books for the new year are opening soon, say when in your December posts. If they are already full, say that too. People who reach out over the holidays should know whether to expect a reply on December 27 or January 6.

On Etchra, blocked time sits on your calendar so nothing gets booked into it, requests can go on a waitlist with one tap, and a note at the top of your booking form tells everyone what to expect over the holidays. Your link stays the same all month.