Green Monday — the second Monday in December — is the last major online shopping day when a bigger gift can still arrive in time for Christmas. If you've been circling a handcrafted piece of furniture but waiting for the right moment, this is it: a good day to browse the full collection and place the order while the timeline still works comfortably in your favor. This guide explains why Green Monday matters, how our shipping timeline works, and how to order a substantial gift without cutting it close.
The short version: a real, made-to-last gift needs a little runway, and Green Monday is your last easy on-ramp.
What Green Monday is, and why it exists
Green Monday is the retail industry's name for one of the biggest online sales days of December. It lands on the second Monday of the month for a simple reason: it's about the last point when standard shipping can reliably get gifts to the door before the holiday. After it, the calendar tightens fast, expedited options get expensive, and the risk of a gift arriving late climbs by the day.
For everyday items, that's a minor concern. For a piece of furniture — something built and shipped with care — the timeline is exactly why Green Monday is the smart day to act.
How our shipping timeline actually works
Knowing the mechanics takes the guesswork out of ordering. Here's how a piece gets from our family workshop to your recipient:
- Ships within about five business days of your order. Every piece is handcrafted, so there's a short window while your order is prepared and packed.
- Free insured shipping nationwide, $0 at checkout. No surprise freight charges at the end.
- Small items travel UPS Ground; large sets go palletized freight with a scheduled delivery appointment, so big pieces arrive on a planned day and are handled properly.
- Tracking is emailed once your order is on the way, so you can watch it move.
Add the roughly five business days to prepare and the transit time on top, and you can see why the second week of December is the comfortable window rather than the last-minute scramble.
Green Monday timing at a glance
| If you order… | What to expect | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Green Monday (2nd Mon of Dec) | Comfortable runway before Christmas | Larger sets and freight pieces |
| Mid-December | Tighter but often workable for smaller items | Accessories, single chairs, stools |
| The final week | Real risk of arriving after the holiday | Not recommended for furniture |
The pattern is clear: the bigger the piece, the earlier you want to order — and Green Monday is the last date that still feels relaxed for the substantial gifts.
Order the big pieces now, the small ones can wait a little
Not every gift carries the same urgency. Use Green Monday to lock in anything large or freight-shipped, and give yourself a few more days of breathing room on the smaller items.
Order on Green Monday (or now):
- Full barrel bar sets and multi-piece furniture sets
- Barrel bars and liquor cabinets
- The flagship six-chair table game set
- Anything shipping palletized freight
A little more flexibility (still don't wait long):
- Single barrel chairs and stools
- Wall wine racks
- Barrel tops
- Smaller accessories via UPS Ground
The principle: freight pieces need the runway, so claim them first. Smaller UPS Ground items move faster and give you a modest cushion — but even those reward ordering sooner rather than later in December.
If you're shopping the seasonal savings
Green Monday is a genuine sale day across retail, and if there are seasonal savings to be had, this is a sensible weekend to take advantage of them. A couple of honest reminders as you shop:
- Buy now, pay later is available through Shop Pay installments over 3–24 months, which makes a larger heirloom piece reachable without a single lump sum — useful when you're spreading holiday spending across several gifts.
- Sales tax is waived on orders shipped outside our home state, which quietly helps the total on a bigger piece.
- Free insured shipping means the price you see is close to the price you pay — no freight surprise at checkout.
Shop the value if it's there, but choose the piece for what it is: a handcrafted, built-to-last gift, not a doorbuster. That's the difference between a gift that's remembered and one that's returned in January.
A quick Green Monday ordering checklist
Keep it simple. Run through this before you check out.
- [ ] Confirm the recipient's shipping address — freight needs an accurate one for the delivery appointment.
- [ ] Choose the piece and note whether it ships UPS Ground or freight.
- [ ] Order the largest gifts first while the runway is comfortable.
- [ ] Decide on payment — pay in full or split with installments.
- [ ] Save the tracking email so you can follow the delivery.
- [ ] For a surprise, plan around the scheduled freight appointment (more below).
Six steps, and the hardest part — deciding — is behind you the moment you pick the piece.
Why a furniture gift is worth the little bit of planning
It's fair to ask why you'd order a gift a couple of weeks out when so much else can be bought on the 23rd. The answer is what you're actually giving. A handcrafted piece of furniture isn't a same-day impulse — it's a genuine heirloom, built by hand from retired oak Wine Barrel staves, finished with spar varnish and a hand-wirebrushed top, and made to last for decades rather than a season.
That kind of gift rewards a little forethought. Ordering on Green Monday isn't a compromise; it's the natural pace for a present of real substance. And the payoff is a gift that doesn't get returned, doesn't get outgrown, and doesn't end up in a drawer by February — it becomes a permanent part of how the recipient's home looks and feels. Set against that, planning a couple of weeks ahead is a small ask for a gift that keeps giving.
Keeping the surprise on a freight delivery
A large gift that ships freight comes with a scheduled delivery appointment, which is actually a gift-giver's advantage. Rather than a piece appearing unannounced, you get to pick the delivery day — so you can arrange for it to arrive while the recipient is out, have it set up in the room, and let them walk into a finished, fully assembled bar or table. Few reveals beat turning a corner and finding the gift already in place.
Coordinate the appointment for a day you'll be home to receive it and the recipient won't, and the surprise stays intact right through to Christmas morning.
The takeaway
Green Monday is the last relaxed day to order a substantial handcrafted gift and have it arrive in comfortable time for the holiday. Order the large, freight-shipped pieces first, give yourself a modest cushion on the smaller items, take advantage of any seasonal savings without letting the price drive the choice, and use the scheduled freight appointment to protect the surprise. Handle it this week and you get the best of both — a gift that's genuinely special and a timeline that never becomes a worry.
About Oak Wood Wine Barrels — A family workshop handcrafting authentic Bordeaux-oak Wine Barrel furniture in America. 4.9-star rated, 4,000+ orders shipped. Shop our collection at obarrel.com.