Moving During the Holidays: How to Jingle All the Way
Moving during the holidays: It’s a tough time to be uprooted or to feel like your life is in flux.
You have family, friends, cocktail parties, shopping, decorating, cooking and plenty more going on already, so it’s not like you’ve got loads of free time.
However, with the right preparation and a few deep, cleansing breaths, it will ll be over quickly—and you’ll wake up one day, laughing and wondering how you got through it.
Good luck, good moving and—most of all—happy holidays!
Get Organized
Just as with any move, go through the rooms in your house and get rid of stuff you don’t need or no longer use. Donate things to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army, post them on Freecycle or sell them on Craigslist. Getting unneeded stuff out of your life will let your heart be light.
Moving during the holiday is tough if you have traditions you like to follow. When you’re packing, make sure to keep a few things that are meaningful to you at this time of year and pack your holiday decorations last. This way, you’ll have access to the things that give you comfort.
When you get to your new place, at least you’ll have easy access to stuff that will make it feel like home.
Help Your Kids Adjust to the Move
If you have kids, especially young ones, they’re not going to understand that the holidays are postponed because you’ve moved.
And they’re not going to be satisfied with the “gift” of unpacking moving boxes, so be sure to plan ahead and have some presents for them to open—no matter where you happen to be in the moving process.
The Christmas Dinner
If you have a family that’s big on tradition and you gather each year for a big feast, go to another family member’s house to eat. You don’t have to cook: Try bringing a dessert from a nice bakery or a tasty bottle of wine.
Wash dishes and relax—and you can cook the family meal next year.
Use a Storage Container
If it’s possible, consider this thought: Pack your stuff up into a container ahead of the holidays, entrust it to your movers and go on a vacation while your things are moved to a storage facility near your new home.
If you use a company that offers containers, they’ll hold on to your stuff in a facility close to your new place and move it all in once you’ve returned.
Of course, travel at this time of the year can be pricey, but to give you and your family some relaxation during such a stressful time, it could be worth it.