10 Tips for Surviving Moving During the Holidays

“Christmas is a time when you get homesick – even when you’re home.” – Carol Nelson

The holidays offer a whole cocktail of emotions for us to absorb from annoyance to sentiment to joy. Although many of us joke around about wishing we could skip the holidays with family, when we actually get granted our wish, we may actually want to give it back. Moving during the holidays is super inconvenient and not fun, but sometimes it is just unavoidable.  The following tips will help you handle needing to transition during a time when you are supposed to be getting your merry on.

Unbelievably, more families relocate throughout the fall and winter months. We are aware of how hectic moving during the holidays may be.

But over the years, we did pick up a few things, so we’re hoping this moving guide for the holidays would be helpful.

1. Do not Idealize

Like the quote at the top of the blog says, sometimes we build up this mystique around the holidays that isn’t exactly accurate. Family can be annoying. Cooking and shopping are a lot of work. Generally, we end up dropping tons of money during the holidays. Being able to skip some of all of that may be a blessing in disguise.

2. Do not Overbook

If you are still going to try to attend some holiday events, make sure that you do not spread yourself to thin. There is a lot of work that needs to be done before moving day, so it is okay to say ‘no’ to some invites. Anyone who has moved, which is most people, will understand why you didn’t have the time to make it to their holiday gathering.

3. Do not Completely Skip All Festivities 

Just because you have a lot to do, doesn’t mean that you have to skip everything. Sometimes taking a break for a minor celebration, get-together or even shopping spree can provide us with a system reset that will allow us to work more efficiently when we return to toiling away at getting this move done.

4. Celebrate Early or Late 

Who says you have to celebrate holidays on the exact day everyone else is? If you feel like you may be too busy that day, do it another day, month or whatever. There is nothing wrong with being a little non-traditional to help you celebrate the holidays properly.

5. Skip Major Decorations 

Moving is a lot of work, trust us. The last thing you want to do is have to worry about moving around a bunch of decorations during any process of the move. Maybe put out a couple of small decorations if you must, but otherwise consider skipping out on the whole decorating thing this year.

6. Skype with Family and Friends 

Make sure to either call or even skype with family and friends if you can’t be with them on the holidays. You may miss their physical presence, but having a little bit of contact will help tide you over spending the holidays away from them.

7. Plan Out Where/What you Will Eat

During the holidays, most places close, so it is a good idea to plan ahead. It is bad enough not to be able to indulge in an all-out holiday meal, but you don’t end up starving due to the fact nothing worthwhile is open. Either scout out restaurants that may be open beforehand, or you can plan to make a holiday meal of some sort.

8. Have Mini Celebrations Prepared 

If you are in transit or in the middle of moving during the holidays, still have a plan for a small celebration. Whether it is opening up a nice bottle of wine and cuddling, or going on a tour of Christmas lights, find and schedule a way to be festive.

9. Prepare the Kids in a Good Way

Make it an adventure! Kids often pick up on how we feel about things, so do not sound sad that you are going to miss out on the holiday, but instead, let them know it is going to be fun. You may even convince yourself that it is going to be enjoyable.

10. There is Always Next Year

The great thing about the holidays is that they come around annually. Even if you do miss out on this year’s festivities, you can make up for it next year by going all out.

Moving doesn’t have to be stressful around the holidays. However, you should first think about lowering your expectations for entertaining and storing non-essentials in advance. Moving during the holidays can be a fun and rewarding experience if you do it right. All you need to do is maintain organization and schedule time for drinking eggnog with loved ones. Interestingly, moving a kitchen during the holiday season requires meticulous planning, especially when it comes to safely transporting appliances and ensuring that your holiday recipes aren’t compromised.