Fresh Holiday Ideas for Camps & Camp Store Marketing

December 11, 2025

The holiday season is bursting with promotions, gift guides, and special events. But camps have something far more powerful to offer: experiences that create lifelong memories.

While big-box stores compete over products, your camp can stand out by spotlighting experiences—growth, nostalgia, and genuine moments of joy. Use the holidays to bring your community closer and spark excitement for the season ahead. 

5 Fresh Ideas to Boost Your Camp's Holiday Marketing

Below are five high-impact ways to improve your holiday marketing, increase camp store sales, and strengthen your community connections. Plus, keep reading for a bonus activity for your next holiday event! 

🎁 1. Camp Registration as a Holiday Gift That Will Be Remembered

More families are choosing meaningful, experience-based gifts and camp easily fits the bill. Framed as a gift-ready surprise, camp registration becomes both exciting and practical. 

Ideas to Encourage Camp Registration During the Holidays

Encourage early sign-ups with seasonal offerings: 

• Host mini holiday camps or short weekend events to build buzz. 
• Offer holiday-only pricing or early-bird payment plans until a specific date. 
• Create limited-time optional purchases to add on during registration like exclusive swag or upgrades. 
• Provide an electronic or printable “Gift of Camp” certificate families can AirDrop or wrap up and put under the tree.

Example Messaging

Give families simple, inspiring copy they can connect with: 

• “Give your child the gift of camp!” 
• “Gift an experience they’ll remember forever.” 
• “Register early with our holiday-only pricing!” 
• “Score exclusive camp swag when you register by [holiday expiration date]!” 

📍 2. Turn Your On-Site Camp Store Into a Holiday Shopping Destination!

Camp-branded gear isn’t just a summer souvenir—it brings warm camp memories into the winter season. Cozy apparel like hoodies, pajamas, and sweatshirts were a few of the items that topped our 2023 Camp Trends Survey. Cozy, nostalgic gear also happens to make the perfect holiday gift. 

A festive, well-curated store can easily become a highlight during winter events. 

Camp Holiday Shopping Ideas

Invite families to browse themed displays and seasonal product mixes: 

• Try themes such as “Cozy Winter Camp Gear” or “Alumni Throwbacks”. 
• Restock popular summer items that campers may have missed. 
• Add stocking-stuffer essentials: bracelets, bookmarks, lanyards, stickers, and more.

Example Messaging

Use simple, cheerful copy to draw shoppers in:

• “Bring a little camp spirit home for the holidays! Stop into our camp store for items to keep your camper warm this holiday season.” 
• “Is your camper still talking about summer? Give them a keepsake they’ll treasure.” 
• “Looking for a holiday gift for your camper’s camp friend? Look no further!” 

🚀 3. Boost Visibility with Simple & Smart Holiday Marketing

December is full of online activity, making it a perfect time to keep your camp top-of-mind. Light-touch holiday content can spark early registrations while building excitement for next summer. 

Seasonal Marketing Ideas

Use creative, low-effort touchpoints to increase visibility: 

• Share a “Staff Pick Gift Guide” featuring top camp essentials. 
• Run a short holiday social series highlighting store items. 
• Test limited-quantity merch to gauge interest for future orders. 
• Post camp-at-home crafts or simple games families can enjoy together. 
• Share throwback holiday moments to spark nostalgia and engagement. 

Example Messaging

Give families something fun and familiar to engage with: 

• “Already registered for camp? Grab must-have gear from our Staff Pick Gift Guide!” 
• “Jumping Jack Frost! This new camp store item is about to fly off the shelf—only 100 in stock! Should we order more?” 
• “Looking for something festive and familiar? Bring these fun camp games to your holiday party!” 
• “We’re feeling the holiday spirit at [Camp Name]! Recognize a camper in these throwback photos? Tag them in the comments!” 

👣  4. Create Memorable In-Person Experiences to Bring Foot Traffic to Your Camp Store

Winter events, open houses, and alumni gatherings are ideal opportunities to bring families back on-site. Small touches turn simple visits into warm, memorable moments—and naturally lead visitors into your camp store. 

How to Gently Direct Camp Event Traffic Toward Making Purchases

Enhance events with family-friendly activities that encourage browsing and sharing: 

• Hot Cocoa Bar: Let visitors customize their cup with different toppings and add-ins. Encourage them to vote on the best combination and declare the winner on your socials. 
• Take-Home Craft Kits: Offer simple, camp-style projects for families to pick up and enjoy (or gift). 
• Leave-a-Memory Wall: Invite campers and alumni to jot down their favorite camp moment to share with the world (or at least your visitors). 
• Advertise Exclusive In-Store-Only Merch: Give families a reason to stop by in person instead of shopping online or elsewhere.
  

Example Messaging

Use warm, inviting language that encourages families to join in for fun: 

• “Visit our camp store for our festive hot cocoa bar—and don’t forget to vote for your favorite toppings!” 
• “Pick up a camper craft kit! Create it, snap a pic, and tag [your camp] for a chance to be featured and win a prize!” 
• “Nearly every visiting camper stops by the store! Add your favorite memory to our Leave-a-Memory Wall and spread the holiday cheer.” 
  

🌲 5. Bring Back the Camp Magic for Alumni This Holiday Season!

The holidays naturally bring back warm memories—making this the perfect time to invite alumni to reconnect with their camp roots. 

Ideas to Get Camp Alumni Engaged with Camp for the Holidays

Reach alumni with offerings that blend humor, history, and camp pride: 

• Share “Remember this?” posts that encourage alumni to reminisce. 
• Release limited-edition retro apparel or vintage-logo items. 
• Offer alumni gift bundles with mugs, ornaments, tees, or patches celebrating camp history. 
  

Example Messaging

Use copy that evokes nostalgia, sparks conversation, and motivates alumni to re-engage: 

• “We’re bringing back this classic merch for a limited time! Feeling nostalgic? Grab yours now!” 
• “The best camp memories are shared with friends and family. Tell us about your cabin and when you were here—and tag a camp buddy to reminisce!” 
• “Pick up our alumni tees, mugs, or tumblers featuring your camp logo and the phrase: ‘I camped here in the 1900s.’” 
  

🎉 BONUS: Add a Hidden Object Game to Any Holiday Event!

Looking for a fun, low-lift way to boost engagement and repeat visits? Add a Hidden Object Game to your store or on-site events. 

How the Hidden Object Game Works:

1. Hide a unique holiday object—like a special snowman or miniature elf toy—somewhere in your store or at your event. 
2. Instruct whoever finds it to pick it up and bring it to a staff member. 
3. In return, they receive a small prize (stickers, bracelets, keychains, candy).
4. Move the object to a new location each time it’s found! 
   

How Interactive Games Help You Stand Out:

• It builds excitement and keeps frequent attendees engaged. 
• Use it to create a tradition that campers look forward to each year. 
• Encourage social sharing (“We found Frosty today!”) to generate buzz.
• It turns your seasons’ experiences into a never-ending treasure hunt!

This simple game adds big holiday magic with low effort.

✨ Wrap-Up: Make this Holiday Season the Most Memorable Yet

Your camp can shine this season by embracing what makes camp special—connection, creativity, and unforgettable experiences. These ideas are here to help you turn holiday moments into long-lasting memories for campers, families, and alumni. 

💡 How iCampPro Can Help Support Camp Holiday Promotions

iCampPro's camp management software includes flexible, easy-to-use tools that help camps manage merchandise, track event activity, and market promotions with confidence. Below are a few ways the software can help support your holiday efforts! 

Manage Holiday Camp Programs & Online Registration Tools

• Create a special holiday camp program and season of events to register attendees through your portal. 
• Offer holiday-only pricing plans online that expire after a selected date. 
• Offer exclusive, limited-quantity optional purchases that appear for both new and existing registrations during the holiday window. 

🔍Explore Our Registration Experience >> 

Marketing & Camp Community Outreach

• Send marketing emails to past, present, and future registered camp families or staff to promote your camp's holiday offers. 
• Include a promotional piece of content in some automated camp emails that you can change with different marketing campaigns! 
• Partner with local organizations to provide special coupon codes—and track where they’re redeemed and by whom. 

🔍Explore Our Communications Tools >> 

Camp Stores, Pop-Up Shops, & Inventory Management

• Maintain detailed vendor shipment records. 
• Track sales and inventory with iCampPro’s Point of Sale tools. 
• Monitor inventory in real time with low-stock alerts. 
• Manage product variations effortlessly (sizes, colors, styles). 
  

Setting up at an off-site holiday market?

Bring a tablet or laptop along with you to connect to iCampPro! Create a Pop-Up storefront, hook up to a payment terminal, and transfer the inventory you plan to bring along to sell. Use the guest checkout option for quick, simple sales.

Hosting on-site holiday events with registration?

Let families add camp store funds to their account during registration for streamlined checkout experiences. 

🔍 Explore Our Point of Sale Features >>

Looking for a New Camp Management Software?

Our team would love to help you explore whether iCampPro is a good fit for you this holiday season. Sign up for a demo with our team to talk about your pain points with your current solution. 

Get Help with How to Choose the Best Camp Software here!