Moving is a stressful time; add in the stress of the holidays and it is easy to feel that your life and schedule is in a tail-spin. The good news is, with the right preparation, moving during the holidays can be accomplished without sacrificing your sanity or your holiday spirit.
If you are moving during the holidays, take advantage of these tips to ensure a smooth, stress-free moving experience:
As with any move, the key-to-success is in being organized. Before you start packing anything into boxes, start the Decluttering Phase. Go room-to-room and eliminate items that: you don’t need, have duplicates, will never/have never used, don’t fit, you never liked and items that you are holding onto for no good reason. Create three piles: donate, sell and toss. Be ruthless, this is not the time to talk yourself into keeping items that you do not need. Getting rid of unneeded items will help you stay organized and will help lighten your moving load.
As you move through the Decluttering Phase set aside a few things that are important to you during the holidays. If you plan to be in your new home right before the holidays, pack an ‘open-first-box’ that has any wrapped presents and sentimental holiday items that you will want to display. If you won’t be in your new home before the holidays, chances are the boxes around you home are plentiful. Instead of creating more work with holiday decorating, display the smaller items that are important to you (Christmas stockings, a table-top tree, ornaments with sentimental value) to add some holiday cheer to the atmosphere. Utilize the abundance of cardboard you have on hand for tree cut-outs, use markers and add some sparkle to your moving boxes. You can even stack our boxes into the shape of a tree. Whatever your moving schedule, adding some holiday cheer will help ease the stress of moving during the holidays.
If you are moving with younger children, reassure them that Santa will be able to find them no matter where the move is taking your family. Put together a box of holiday activities to keep them occupied through the moving phase. Any gifts for the children should be wrapped and packed into the ‘open-first’ holiday box and taken with you (not on the moving truck) to ensure that they are easily accessible when they are time to open.
Although moving during the holidays can create more chaos than normal, keep spirits up by scheduling some holiday activities around the moving process. Watch a holiday movie or play some holiday music while you pack. If your tradition is to have friends and family over for a holiday get-together, invite them over to help pack and enjoy some eggnog. Most importantly, get out of the house and enjoy some holiday play with your family. Relaxing and enjoying some holiday play outside the house full of boxes can do wonders for your productivity when you return.
If you are moving over the holidays there is no need to create more work for yourself. Combine your moving announcements and new address with your holiday cards to save time and money. If you are planning on having a Going Away Party or Housewarming Party, you can also include this information in your greetings. Consolidating efforts will leave you more time to dedicate to the move and celebrating the holidays.
From our family to yours we wish you Happy Holidays and Happy Moving!