Support hours
I noticed over the long weekend that most people thought you guys worked 24/7 and got impatient if they didn't get an answer in a few minutes.
Since the support hours (if anyone bothers to check) are assumed to apply to whatever timezone they are in, what if you did the translation for them?
You could add a little image (big enough for them to notice) that indicated when tech support is officially open and when it was just forum support. Maybe just a green or red bar with a message in it. Might save you from typing in the holiday messages too if it was all automated.
Who knows, if you got fancy enough you might be able to turn it into a Toggle Message Solution Pack. :)