How to Order Opa’s for the Holidays

Two versions of the week before Thanksgiving walk through our door, and our deli crew sees them both. One customer walks in calm on Tuesday afternoon, picks up an Opa’s brand bag with their name on it, and is back in the truck in four minutes. The whole holiday handled since the tenth. The other one calls that same afternoon, asking what can still get there by Thursday. Both of them get taken care of; that’s the job. But only one of them enjoys the week. This post exists to put you in the first group, permanently — everything Opa’s does for the holidays, every way to order it, and the two dates that make all of it easy.

Two Dates Matter

For this season, the calendar is simple: order by 8 AM Tuesday, November 17 for Thanksgiving out of state, or Wednesday, November 18 in Texas — and by 8 AM Tuesday, December 15 for Christmas out of state, or Monday, December 21 in Texas. Orders after those dates ship starting November 30 and January 4. Those dates give the insulated boxes the road time they need without asking the shipping calendar for miracles. Ordering earlier is never wrong — the closer the holiday gets, the more the weather and the carriers get a vote, and if a date slips past you, the end of this post has the answers for that, too.

What Ships, and What It Does

Everything shippable goes nationwide from opassmokedmeats.com; the smoked meats ship in an insulated box with gel packs. Two boxes carry the holidays year after year: the Sausage Sampler. The introduction, one flavor at a time, and the Ultimate Sampler, the deeper cut of the smokehouse for the household that already knows. Around them, the whole holiday table ships: the hams in all three styles, whole smoked turkeys and chickens, the peppered tenderloins that make a centerpiece out of a Tuesday, and the cured meats and summer sausage that handle every stocking, road trip, and desk on the list. For the pantry side of a gift (jams, jellies, cookies, and cheeses, some under the Opa’s label and some from boutique makers the deli hand-picks) the counter builds those into baskets, along with the Opa’s shirts, hats, and tumblers for the superfan on the list. Which brings us to the pickup side of the operation.

Custom Gift Baskets: The Pickup-Only Craft

Custom baskets are built at the Deli & Market in Fredericksburg, Texas, and they’re built to order, which is why they don’t ship, and why they’re worth the trip. The lead times are friendlier than you’d guess: need one or two, walk in and order them same-day. Need several, call ahead so the right items are pulled and ready — the counter will give you a pickup time. Building something bigger — a large corporate run, a family reunion’s worth — call as early as you can, since some items may need to be ordered in. The counter builds straight through the season — Christmas week included. Every basket gets assembled by hands that do this all season, and picked up at 410 S Washington St.

Corporate & Business Gifting

If your list is a client roster instead of a family, the process is built for you: reach the main office or info@opasfbg.com, send your list and your direction, and the smokehouse does the rest. Each order packaged, a personalized card in its envelope tucked into every box, and shipped wherever the list says. Prefer to hand them out yourself? The whole run can be prepared for pickup instead. Start the conversation early in the season — Christmas corporate lists are due Monday, December 7 — and your November is quiet.

Consider a Subscription

Some gifts arrive once. A subscription arrives all year — anything that ships except the bulk cases can become one, arriving every 4, 8, or 12 weeks. For the person who already loves the sausage, it’s the gift that outperforms everything else under the tree: February shows up, and so does the box.

Feeding the Group: The Counter Side

December fills up with office lunches, family drop-ins, and the crowd that lands at your house between the holidays. The sandwich counter handles groups with a phone call: call ahead — a day’s notice covers most group orders, and for bigger ones, the earlier the better. No minimums. And the prepared charcuterie boards, meat and cheese trays, and sandwich platters from the case are pickup-only, made fresh for the people carrying them out the door.

If You’re Local

Fredericksburg residents and Hill Country neighbors get the simplest version of all of this: walk in. The case is fullest in the mornings, the tasting station settles any gift debate, and the baskets, boards, and trays that never ship are all yours for the carrying. Monday–Friday 8 AM–5:30 PM, Saturday 8 AM–4 PM · 830-997-3358 — holiday hours: closing at 4 PM on November 25, closed Thanksgiving, closing at 1 PM on Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day.

Be the Calm One

Back to those two customers. The one who breezed in and out on Tuesday didn’t do anything complicated. They just did it in early November: picked the boxes, placed the order, put the pickup day on the calendar. That’s the whole trick, and now it’s yours. Two dates, one early phone call or a few minutes online, and the best week of the year gets to actually feel like it.

Small Batch. Craft Made. Texas-German tradition — since 1947.

Shippable gifts, samplers, and the full holiday table are at opassmokedmeats.com — order by November 17 (out of state) or November 18 (Texas) for Thanksgiving, December 15 or December 21 for Christmas. Gift cards never miss a cutoff, and anything that ships except the bulk cases can become a subscription. Baskets, boards, and group lunches: 830-997-3358 or info@opasfbg.com, at the Deli & Market, 410 S Washington St, Fredericksburg.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do I need to order for holiday delivery?

For this season: by 8 AM on November 17 (out of state) or November 18 (Texas) for Thanksgiving, and December 15 (out of state) or December 21 (Texas) for Christmas. Earlier is always safer — weather and carrier volume tighten as the holidays get close, so check the current cutoffs at opassmokedmeats.com before you count on a date.

Do the custom gift baskets ship?

No — baskets are built at the Fredericksburg deli and are pickup-only. One or two can often be ordered the same day at the counter; for several or a large run, call ahead and the counter will give you a pickup time. For gifting at a distance, the shippable samplers, combos, and boxed gifts do the traveling.

How does corporate gifting work?

Email info@opasfbg.com or call the main office with your list. Every order is packaged with a personalized card in its envelope and shipped per your directions, or prepared for pickup if you’d rather deliver them yourself. Start early; the season rewards it.

How do subscriptions work?

Anything that ships except the bulk cases can become a subscription — delivered every 4, 8, or 12 weeks. It’s the gift that keeps showing up long after the wrapping paper’s gone.

Can the deli handle my group lunch?

Yes — call ahead. A day’s notice covers most groups; for bigger ones, the earlier the better, and the counter will confirm your pickup time. No minimums, and the sandwich counter does the rest.

What if I missed the shipping cutoff?

Two saves: a gift card, delivered instantly and good for the whole lineup — or, if you’re within driving distance, the deli case itself, which never has a cutoff.