How to Move During the Holidays

Ah, the holidays… twinkling lights, heartwarming music, and… moving?

While moving during the fall and winter months may not seem very popular, it actually is a great time of the year for someone to purchase a new home. Likewise, renters may be able to enjoy lower rates.

Are you preparing on moving out soon? If so, your plans could run right into one of the busiest times of the year: the holidays.

Luckily, it doesn’t have to be the nightmare you may be imagining. Keep reading for some easy tips on how to move during the holidays this year.

Begin Your Planning Process Early

There is generally a lot going on during the holiday season for most families, so you want to plan ahead of time when you know you’re going to move. This means that you want to come up with specific plans for how you’ll pack, what moving out will look like, how moving day will function, and everything else.

For some people, it may be easier to write down this information or organize it on a computer program. For others, it could be helpful to record voice notes of the loose plans at first to organize them more later.

Moving is a lot of work, so putting a plan into action rather than “winging it” is going to create less stress for you overall. Although it may seem intimidating to start planning months out, since you know you’re going to be busy anyway, it’s worth it in the long run.

Pack Your Belongings Sooner Than You Think

Another thing that should be done early is packing. Part of the stress associated with a move is that you never know what you’ll need after you pack it, which makes people want to wait. However, as we said, the holiday season is busy, so you need to get this huge task started well before you plan to move.

You don’t want to pack up items that you know you’ll use during the holiday season, but you also need to be realistic about what you need to keep out (especially if you plan to use fragile dishes or other items that may be difficult to pack).

For this holiday season, you may want to go a little easy on the holiday feasts and complete decorations around the house because those are just more items that you’ll have to pack later.

Some simple packing tips include:

Declutter your home first
Create a packing schedule
Use the right boxes
Pack a moving day bag

Decluttering Before a Move

One of the key things to do before you move to a new home is get rid of items around your current residence that you no longer need or use. It becomes easy to hold onto items that we tuck away out of sight or look at every day, but if you don’t really like it anymore or you know you’ll never use it, it’s not worth bringing it along.

It creates more for you to pack and unpack, so spend some time thinking about what you can sell or donate before you start packing.

Organizing a Schedule for Packing

Figure out how long you think it may take you to pack everything up and then divide that time by a certain number of days. Once you’ve done this, it’s a good idea to add a buffer of at least a day or two just in case it will take longer than you anticipate.

This will help you figure out when to start packing. You can also try to schedule it out even more by specifying how long you’ll spend packing every day. After all, it is the holiday season, so you want to spend time doing the things that you enjoy while also getting all of that extra packing work done.

Choosing Your Moving Boxes

You need to choose boxes that are sturdy enough for your items but are also the right size. You should not overpack boxes to the point that they are overflowing, but you also shouldn’t under-pack them or leave extra space inside.

The key is to find the right size boxes for the items that you plan to pack in those boxes, so you might need more than one size for all of your things to fit properly.

Adding Items to a Moving Day Bag

Although this isn’t a necessity, it can make things a little bit easier on the day of your move. Items that you use every day or items that you know you’ll need on that first day and night in the new place can be placed in a bag (or box) that you can keep out for easy access.

By doing this, you won’t have to rummage through your other boxes trying to find things you need, like a set of sheets or your toothbrush.

If you have a family, you may want to consider making an essentials box instead. This is going to be a little more extensive, but it will help keep everyone happy and organized during the move.

Go Out for the Holidays

Instead of doing the normal things that you do during the holidays, it may be better to switch things up this year so that you don’t create more stress for yourself or your family. For instance, if you usually host a big dinner on your favorite holiday, consider going out to eat or having the event at someone else’s home this year.

Not only are you likely going to be in the middle of packing, but you’ll also want to avoid people coming over and potentially making a bigger mess for you. If you’re leaving in a few days, a week, or even a month, creating more work for yourself will make future you very angry.

You may even want to consider creating a new holiday tradition with your family for that year. Depending on what type of holidays you plan to celebrate, there are a lot of non-conventional ways that you could consider spending your celebrations.

Try to Keep Decor Simple

We aren’t telling you not to decorate at all for the holidays, but try to keep it a little more low-key, especially if you usually do a whole production with your decorations.

Solely playing some holiday music around the house, making cookies, and watching the fireplace channel could be enough to get your household into the spirit of the holidays.

If you’re moving far away and know you’ll be in the car or truck for a while, you may want to decorate those spaces as well! You can get creative here and come up with fun ways to celebrate and enjoy the holidays without sacrificing all of the traditions that you normally would do.

Alternatively, if you’re planning to arrive right before a holiday or on a holiday, you can even bring a few decorations with you in your moving day bag (or essentials box) to put up right away. This way, even your new residence can be in the holiday spirit with you and your family.

Work With an Experienced Moving Company

Most people are well aware that moving in and of itself is difficult, but if you’re moving during the holidays, it can be even worse. You’re likely dealing with traffic from people traveling, bad weather due to the season changes (especially if you’re leaving Texas), and general stress due to relocating.

For this reason, if you’re moving during the holiday season, you should hire a moving company to help you. Companies like ours can offer packing services as well, which gives you more time to spend doing the things that you love during the holiday season.

Olde World Movers services areas all over Texas, so we are ready to help you whenever you’re ready to move. Our reviews showcase our expertise, professionalism, and overall care for your family and belongings.

Spend Time With Your Loved Ones

One of the reasons that many people love the holidays is because they get to spend time feeling connected to their friends and families and giving gifts or love to those that they care most about. When you’re busy with a move, it can be hard to make time for these essential parts of the holiday season.

Out of all of the moving tips for the holidays that we offer here, this one is still just as important! You need to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself during the move, and for many people, that would mean spending time with the people they care about during the holiday season.

Learn How to Move During the Holidays

With these tips in hand on how to move during the holidays, you’re ready to tackle your upcoming move with ease. Working with professionals can help you make the process that much easier, so consider Olde World Movers as an essential part of your plan.

We can help you pack your home, move your items, and get you into your new space quickly so that you can get back to enjoying the festive season.