How to Use Christmas Hashtags on Instagram & TikTok in 2025

Holiday shoppers increasingly turn to social media for gift ideas (a hashtag symbol made of cinnamon sticks). The holiday season is a critical time for e-commerce brands and Amazon sellers to shine online. One simple yet powerful tactic is leveraging Christmas hashtags on platforms like Instagram and TikTok to get your products and content in front of festive shoppers. Why does this matter? Because consumers are scrolling and searching: 80% of shoppers plan to use social media as much or more than last year to find holiday gifts (with social now the #1 inspiration source for Gen Z and Millennials). Using the right seasonal hashtags can help your posts appear in those searches and feeds, driving more eyes to your brand. In this post, we’ll explore how Christmas hashtags work, how to find the best ones for 2025, and ways to combine them with micro-influencer marketing and UGC (user-generated content) to boost holiday sales. Let’s unwrap the strategy!

Why Christmas Hashtags Matter for Holiday Marketing

Holiday hashtags aren’t just cute additions – they’re a discovery tool that can amplify your reach. On crowded platforms, a well-chosen hashtag places your content into larger conversations happening around the holidays. For example, on Instagram the broad tag #Christmas has been used in over 210 million posts, while #MerryChristmas appears on around 64 million posts. This massive volume shows the popularity of these tags, and jumping into these trending topics can expose your content to thousands of potential viewers following those hashtags. In fact, using hashtags has been shown to increase social media engagement: one analysis found that Instagram posts with hashtags get over 12% more interactions on average than those without.

From a marketing perspective, Christmas hashtags tap into seasonal interest. People actively search hashtags like #GiftIdeas, #HolidayDeals, or #ChristmasDecor when looking for inspiration. By including these in your posts, you help your product photos, videos, or ads appear in those aggregated results. The benefit is twofold: you attract new audiences (shoppers who don’t yet follow your account but are browsing holiday topics) and you stay relevant to existing followers by joining in the festive spirit.

Crucially, hashtags are free and simple to use, making them a cost-effective tactic for small businesses and Amazon sellers. During major shopping events we’ve seen how powerful social reach can be – during Prime Day 2025, social media influencers drove about 20% of online sales, converting shoppers 10× more effectively than generic social media posts. The takeaway: people pay attention to content (and the hashtags) shared by creators and communities they trust. If your brand’s holiday post or an influencer’s post about your product uses a trending hashtag, it’s more likely to surface in front of motivated shoppers. In short, Christmas hashtags help bridge the gap between your content and the customers searching for what you offer.

How to Find and Choose the Best Christmas Hashtags

Not all hashtags are created equal. Using strategic Christmas hashtags is about quality and relevance, not just quantity. Here’s how to discover and select the right ones for your brand:

• • Research What’s Trending: Start by observing which holiday hashtags are trending on your key platform. On Instagram, you can type a hashtag (like “Christmas”) in the search bar and see how many posts use it, as well as suggested related tags. TikTok’s Discover page or hashtag search will show you popular tags and challenges. Also consider the year – adding the current year to a hashtag (e.g., #Christmas2025 or #Xmas2025) can help you tap into this year’s specific holiday buzz. Seasonal tags with a time cue often trend because people use them to see current content.

     

  • Mix Popular and Niche Hashtags: It might be tempting to slap on the most popular tags like #Christmas or #HappyHolidays on every post. However, bigger isn’t always better. Extremely popular hashtags have millions of posts, meaning your content can easily get lost in the crowd. It’s wise to use a mix of broad tags and more specific, niche ones. For example, include a couple of high-volume hashtags for general exposure, but also use targeted hashtags that match your product category or audience interest. If you sell homemade ornaments, tags like #ChristmasDecor or #HandmadeChristmas will put you in front of a more focused audience than just #Christmas. Finding these niche tags can be as simple as checking what hashtags similar businesses, influencers, or your own followers are using.

     

  • Use Platform Suggestions and Tools: Both Instagram and TikTok often auto-suggest related hashtags when you start typing (and show how many views or posts each has). This is a quick way to uncover relevant tags. You can also see posts from competitors or industry accounts – what hashtags are they adding on their holiday content? Take note of any recurring ones that fit your brand. There are also third-party hashtag generator tools and analytics platforms that can help (many have free versions). For instance, you might use a social media analytics tool to identify trending holiday hashtags in your niche or see which tags brought engagement on your past posts.

     

  • Create a Branded Hashtag: In addition to using popular tags, consider inventing a unique branded hashtag for your holiday campaign. This could be as simple as your company or product name combined with a festive term (e.g., #YourBrandChristmas, #HolidayWithYourBrand). A branded hashtag gives your community a way to follow and participate in your story. Encourage customers to use it when they post about your product – this generates valuable user-generated content (UGC) and social proof. It also allows you to easily track and repost customer photos. While a brand tag won’t have huge search volume at first, it can foster a sense of community and loyalty, and over time more people may click it to see others engaging with your brand. Just make sure any custom tag you create is short, easy to spell, and unique to your business to avoid overlap.

     

  • Keep It Relevant: Above all, every hashtag you choose should make sense for your content and audience. Random or unrelated tags (just because they’re trending) can confuse readers or even trigger platform algorithms to penalize your reach. For example, tagging #ChristmasCooking on a fashion product photo doesn’t fit – save that for when you post a holiday recipe or a kitchen product. Relevance beats sheer popularity. Using a well-chosen tag that aligns with your post will attract users who are genuinely interested, leading to more meaningful engagement.

By combining these approaches, you’ll compile a solid list of Christmas and holiday hashtags that suit your brand. Aim for a balanced set – a few broad ones, a few niche-specific ones, maybe one branded tag, and perhaps a timely tag like the year or event (e.g., #BlackFriday, #CyberMonday if applicable). In the next section, we’ll look at some of the top Christmas hashtags and how they can be categorized for effective use.

Top Christmas Hashtags for Instagram & TikTok in 2025

It helps to know what some of the best Christmas hashtags are, and how they’re used. Below is a quick overview of popular tags and examples, grouped by category. Use this as inspiration when creating your own hashtag strategy:

As shown above, you’ll likely want to select a few from each category that make sense for your goals. For instance, a DTC skincare brand might use broad tags like #MerryChristmas, a deal tag like #HolidayDeals, a niche tag like #BeautyGifts, and their own branded hashtag in one post. Meanwhile, an Amazon seller listing tech gadgets might lean into #TechGifts, #GiftGuide, and #Christmas2025 to target gift-shoppers. The key is to mix and match in a natural way. Avoid using too many hashtags in one post – it can look spammy. On Instagram, you’re allowed up to 30 tags, but studies suggest using around 3–5 well-chosen hashtags is most effective for engagement. On TikTok, a handful of relevant hashtags (often 3–4, including any trending challenge tags) is usually sufficient since TikTok’s algorithm also factors in caption keywords and sounds.

Amplify Reach with Micro Influencers and UGC

Hashtags alone can boost your visibility, but combining them with influencer marketing and UGC can truly supercharge your holiday campaign. Here’s how:

Leverage Micro-Influencers: Micro-influencers are content creators with smaller (but highly engaged) followings, often in a specific niche. Collaborating with micro-influencers for holiday promotions can yield big results for e-commerce brands. Why? Because their audiences trust them and interact more – micro-influencers inspire up to 60% more engagement than their macro-influencer counterparts. When a micro influencer showcases your product in a Christmas-themed post or video and uses popular Christmas hashtags, their recommendation comes off as authentic and reaches exactly the community you want. For example, a micro-influencer in the baking niche might post a recipe video for holiday cookies featuring your brand’s ingredient, tagged with #ChristmasCookies and #BakingHolidays, driving both interest and credibility. Even though their follower count is modest, you’re likely to see higher engagement rates and conversion from that audience than you would from a generic ad. In 2025, shoppers increasingly discover products through creators – remember that social influencers drove nearly 20% of online sales during Prime Day. Tapping into that trend for Christmas is a smart move.

Encourage UGC with a Branded Hashtag: As mentioned, creating a branded hashtag can kickstart user-generated content. You might launch a holiday contest or challenge where customers post a photo or video using your product in a festive setting, and tag it with your custom hashtag (plus something like #Christmas2025). This not only spreads your brand message to the followers of each participant, but also provides you with a library of authentic content to reshare. UGC is powerful – people trust real customer experiences. In fact, a recent survey found that user-generated comments (38%) are now slightly more trusted than influencer recommendations (35%) for holiday shopping ideas. That means encouraging your real customers to share can build even more trust with new shoppers. Highlight the best submissions on your page (with permission) as part of a “holiday highlights” reel or story. It’s a win-win: customers feel heard and involved, and your brand gains organic exposure.

Cross-Promote on Multiple Platforms: Different social platforms have different strengths. Instagram is great for picturesque product photos, TikTok for viral video challenges, and even Pinterest can drive e-commerce traffic with holiday pin boards. If you partner with influencers, let them be creative on the platform where their content performs best. Just ensure they include your chosen hashtags on every platform they use – yes, even on X (Twitter) or Facebook where hashtags are less crucial, a couple of hashtags can still help categorize the post. By having a presence across channels (Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, Twitter posts, etc.), you cast a wider net. An Amazon seller, for example, might have influencers posting unboxing videos on TikTok with #AmazonFinds and #ChristmasGifts, while also sharing styled product shots on Instagram with #GiftGuide and #MerryChristmas. Multi-platform coverage increases touchpoints with potential buyers.

Tip: When working with influencers or running UGC campaigns, provide participants with a list of preferred hashtags. Mix in one or two broad ones (to piggyback on trending topics) and a few specific ones (related to your product or campaign). This ensures consistency – if everyone uses your #BrandChristmas tag plus, say, #HolidayDeals, it can even start trending in its own right, drawing more attention. Platforms like Stack Influence (which connects brands with vetted micro influencers) can simplify this process by handling the matchmaking and ensuring creators incorporate your hashtags and key messages seamlessly.

By blending hashtags with micro-influencer content and UGC, you create a marketing force multiplier. You get the extended reach of hashtags, the credibility and engagement of influencer posts, and the trust-building of real customer voices all working together. For an e-commerce brand or Amazon seller, this approach can drive substantial holiday traffic and sales without an exorbitant advertising budget.

Best Practices for Using Christmas Hashtags Effectively

To wrap up the strategy, keep these best practices in mind when implementing your hashtag plan:

• • Don’t Overstuff Hashtags: More is not always merrier. While you can use dozens of hashtags, it’s usually better to focus on a relevant few. Overloading captions with hashtags can look spammy and may dilute your message. Aim for a concise set that captures the essence of your post. For example, a caption that says “Our Limited Edition Hot Cocoa Mug is here! ☕🎄 #Christmas #HotCocoa #GiftIdeas #YourBrandHoliday” is cleaner and more impactful than a block of 20 tags. Plus, some platforms might de-prioritize posts that seem like hashtag dumps. Quality and relevance of tags beat quantity.

     

  • Avoid Banned or Irrelevant Tags: Make sure any hashtag you use is actually related to your content and is safe. Each year some seemingly innocent tags get temporarily banned on Instagram (for spam or inappropriate use reasons). Using a banned tag means your post won’t show up in any searches. Always double-check if you’re using an uncommon hashtag. Also, using hashtags unrelated to your content (just because they’re trending) can backfire – users might report it as spam, and algorithms could limit your reach. Stick to tags that reflect your content, product, or target community.

     

  • Mix Trending and Evergreen: A smart strategy is to use one or two trending hashtags (like a currently popular challenge or the year-specific tags) alongside evergreen ones. Trending tags give you a short-term boost if you can ride the wave of a viral topic (for example, if #SantaChallenge or a Christmas song dance is trending on TikTok, and you can incorporate your product into that trend). Evergreen tags (like #ChristmasDecor) will be relevant every year and keep attracting views even after the trend fades. This mix ensures you get bursts of traffic now and steady trickles over time.

     

  • Monitor Performance: Once you start using Christmas hashtags, pay attention to your analytics. Instagram and TikTok offer insights for business accounts – you can often see how many impressions came from hashtags. Note which tags seem to drive the most views or engagement for you and refine your list accordingly. If certain niche tags aren’t yielding any results, swap them out for different ones. Social media is dynamic, so be ready to adjust. Perhaps #Holiday2025 spikes in popularity later in the season, or a new slang term emerges for a must-have gift – don’t be afraid to incorporate new relevant hashtags as the season evolves.

     

  • Keep the Conversation Genuine: Finally, remember that hashtags are a means to join a conversation, not a substitute for good content. Ensure your posts themselves are engaging – high-quality images or videos, interesting captions, and a clear message. Then use hashtags to amplify that quality content. Engage back with the audience you attract: if someone finds you via #ChristmasGifts and leaves a comment, reply to build a relationship. The holiday season is about connection and authenticity. Brands that come across as genuinely invested in the community (rather than just pushing products with a bunch of hashtags) will win the trust of consumers.

By following these best practices, you’ll avoid the common pitfalls of hashtag marketing and make the most of every tag you deploy. It can be as simple as avoiding the ultra-generic tags that everyone uses (experts note that overly popular or generic tags like “#snow” are so saturated that they’re unlikely to help your content) and focusing on the ones that really matter to your audience.

Conclusion to How to Use Christmas Hashtags on Instagram & TikTok

As the holiday sales season approaches, having a solid Christmas hashtags strategy can give your e-commerce business an edge. When you thoughtfully choose hashtags – blending popular, niche, and branded tags – you make your content exponentially more discoverable to holiday shoppers scouring social media for inspiration. Combined with micro-influencer partnerships and a strong dose of UGC, those hashtags become pathways to trust and increased conversions. The beauty of this approach is that it’s agile and cost-effective, ideal for everyone from indie Shopify stores to large Amazon sellers.

In 2025, social commerce is poised to hit new heights, and brands that capitalize on trends like Christmas hashtags will capture more of that festive spending. So start brainstorming your list of hashtags, reach out to some enthusiastic content creators, and encourage your customers to share their holiday moments with your brand. By implementing these tactics, you can spread cheer and drive ROI – making this season truly the most wonderful time of the year for your business. Now, get out there and make your holiday campaign sparkle! Happy hashtagging, and may your sales be merry and bright.