Why We Close the Roastery Dec 23–26 (and What That Means for Orders)
Every December we get the same set of questions:
- "Can I still order coffee for Christmas delivery?"
- "What happens if I order during the closure?"
- "Will my December order ship on time?"
This post is the version of those answers we wish we'd written before the questions started. We'll cover the closure dates, the order-by deadlines, what happens to orders placed during the closure, and why we close at all.
If you've been confused about Cozy Sips holiday shipping in the past, this is the post that should make it clear.
The dates
We close the roastery December 23 through December 26. We reopen December 29.
The last roast day before the closure is Wednesday, December 22. The last ship day is Thursday, December 23. Orders placed after 5 PM Pacific on December 22 won't roast until the next Wednesday, which is December 29.
The first roast day after the closure is Wednesday, December 29. The first ship day after the closure is Thursday, December 30. Orders placed during the closure (Dec 23-26) ship December 30.
If you're ordering for Christmas delivery, here's the math:
- Domestic US (lower 48): Order by 5 PM Pacific December 19 to guarantee delivery before Christmas. (USPS Priority Mail typically takes 2-3 business days plus a buffer day for sorting.)
- Domestic US (Alaska, Hawaii): Order by 5 PM Pacific December 15 to allow for longer transit.
- APO/FPO/DPO addresses: Order by 5 PM Pacific December 10 to allow for military mail transit.
These dates are conservative. We've shipped orders as late as December 22 and had them arrive by Christmas Eve, but we've also had orders placed December 21 arrive on December 27. If Christmas delivery matters, order early.
Why we close
The honest answer is: because we're a small team and we need the time off.
It's E (the founder) running the roastery most days, with occasional help from a part-time packer. E has been working most weekends since we started, and the only real time off is the week between Christmas and New Year's. Closing Dec 23-26 gives E four days to do nothing related to coffee — sleep in, see family, not answer customer emails.
There's a second reason: roast quality drops when E is tired. This is real, not a soft justification. The last two batches on a long Wednesday, when E has been up since 6 AM and is thinking about the holiday shipping list instead of the roast profile — those batches are slightly worse than the first two. Not dramatically, but enough that we can taste it in the cup. Closing for the four days means every order in the post-closure week is roasted by someone who's had time to rest.
There's a third reason that's softer: the coffee is better with rest, too. Roasted coffee that sits for 7-10 days post-roast is in its peak flavor window. If we roasted the week before Christmas, the coffee would arrive at customers during Christmas week, often after a few days of sitting in a hot mail truck. By closing and starting fresh on December 29, the December 30-shipped coffee is at peak when it arrives January 2-5.
What happens to orders placed during the closure
If you order between December 23 at 5 PM Pacific and December 29 at 9 AM Pacific, here's the sequence:
- Order placed. Your order is in the queue. We send you a confirmation email.
- December 23-26. The roastery is closed. No roasting, no shipping, no customer service emails answered (E is offline).
- December 27-28. The roastery is still closed. E is reachable for urgent issues only — please email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
- December 29 morning. E returns to the roastery, reviews the order queue, and adds the new orders to the December 29 roast plan.
- December 29 afternoon. Your coffee roasts. It goes into bags that afternoon.
- December 30 morning. Your coffee ships.
- January 2-5. Your coffee arrives at your door.
So an order placed December 24 ships December 30 and arrives around January 2-5. That's the post-closure turnaround.
If you need coffee faster than that, the answer is: order before the closure. December 19 is the safe-by date for lower-48 domestic delivery before Christmas.
FAQ
Can I order expedited shipping during the closure?
We don't currently offer expedited shipping. Every order goes USPS Priority Mail, which is 2-3 days for most US addresses. There's no overnight option.
If you need coffee faster than the standard turnaround, your best bet is to order early (before December 19) and have it held at a local post office for pickup, or to find a local roaster who can fulfill same-day.
Will my order ship late if I order now?
It depends on when "now" is.
- Before December 19, 5 PM Pacific: Order ships by December 23 at the latest. Christmas delivery likely.
- Between December 19 and December 22: Order ships December 23 if it makes the cutoff, or December 30 if it doesn't. Christmas delivery is uncertain.
- Between December 23 and December 29: Order ships December 30. Christmas delivery not possible.
- After December 29: Order ships the next Thursday. Standard turnaround resumes.
If you're not sure whether your order will arrive in time, our customer service is happy to look up your specific situation. E reads every email and can usually tell you within a few hours whether your order will make it.
Can I order a gift card or subscription during the closure?
Gift cards and digital products send immediately via email. Subscriptions are paused during the closure — your subscription order will be queued and shipped on December 30 with the rest of the week's orders.
What about returns or refunds during the closure?
If you have an issue with an order during the closure, email us. E won't respond until December 29, but the email will be in the queue. We handle returns and refunds in the order they come in, so earlier emails get handled first when E is back.
If your issue is urgent (your gift didn't arrive, your coffee is stale, etc.) and you need a resolution before December 25, please email us before December 22 with as much detail as possible. E will try to handle urgent cases before the closure.
What if USPS is delayed?
USPS Priority Mail is usually 2-3 business days, but weather, holiday volume, and staffing can push it to 4-5 days or longer. If your order is shipped December 22 or 23 and USPS is delayed, your coffee might arrive December 26-28 instead of December 24-25.
We can't control USPS. If your coffee arrives late, please email us — we'll either send a replacement or refund the order. We don't want anyone to be out the cost of a late shipment.
The bigger picture
We close the roastery because we're a small team and we need the time off. We try to make the closure as painless as possible for customers by communicating the dates clearly, processing orders promptly before and after, and being reachable for urgent issues via email.
If you've ordered from us in past years and were confused about the closure, we apologize. We're trying to do better — this post is part of that, and so is the holiday shipping deadlines post (publishing December 1) that walks through the dates in calendar form.
For more on how we run the roastery and why we do things the way we do, our Behind the Scenes at the Roastery post walks through a typical Wednesday. And if you want to understand the business side of why we close, our Why Cozy Sips Exists post has the origin story.
If you're ordering coffee for the holidays, the December 19 cutoff is the one to remember. Order by 5 PM Pacific on December 19 for lower-48 domestic delivery before Christmas. If you're in Alaska, Hawaii, or a military address, earlier. Every bag you buy helps support the rescue partners we work with — including ASPCA, Best Friends Animal Society, and local shelters.
Brew slow. Sip slow. ☕
P.S. If you're reading this on December 23 or later and need coffee before New Year's, your fastest option is a local roaster. Most US cities have at least one specialty roaster within driving distance that can fulfill same-day. We're back online December 29 with fresh-roasted orders shipping December 30.