How to Move During the Holidays: Celebrate Fully and Still Make the Move

There’s a chill in the air and festive music playing at the mall, the end of the year approaches and with it comes the holiday season. This year though, you’ve got a big problem coming at you just as fast as Santa Clause is coming to town: You’re moving.

The good news for anyone who faces a big move during the holiday season is that November and December falls in the off-season for many moving companies. In fact, All My Sons Moving & Storage only performed 30,000 local moves in November and December of 2023, which is roughly 30% less moves than during our busy season of July through August.

Moving during the off-season means you might be able to snag a great price for your move, but that doesn’t mean moving during the holidays will be any easier. The holidays can be stressful, and moving can be stressful. Put the two together and you have a recipe for high-strung anxiety.

At All My Sons Moving & Storage, we know the ins and outs of moving during every season and we understand the special brand of nail-biting and hair-pulling that a holiday move can bring. We want our customers to feel empowered and organized during their move, which is why we’ve assembled these moving guides with tips and tricks to help you make your move during any season. 

Start building the moving checklist for your holiday move here with our guidance.

Depending on where in the coming months your move falls, you might have to transport your Christmas and Hanukkah gifts before the holiday itself arrives. In the chaos of moving, you run the risk of losing track of where your gifts have gone or any of your family members, especially the young ones, accidentally stumbling on your gifts and spoiling their surprise. Even worse, with your move being at the forefront of your mind, you might let the holiday sneak up on you and run out of time or budget for gifts.

Put getting or making your holiday gifts first on your moving checklist so that all the holiday shopping and crafting is completed before the other moving tasks rush in to overwhelm you. Set up a home gift wrapping station before your move and use it until your holiday essentials must be packed. When you acquire a gift, wrap it immediately and label it clearly who it’s from and who it’s for. Keep all your holiday gifts together, in the same box if possible. This way, you will know where all of your gifts are and hopefully no tricky little eyes will catch sight of something as you’re packing or unpacking the rest of the home.

Every other time of year, your holiday decorations could be going into boxes with the other non-essentials first. After all, they were probably already crammed in boxes in the attic or under the stairs. This time of year though, it’s the moment for those Christmas lights to shine. So go ahead and let them shine as long as they can.

Keeping the holiday decorations up during your move will help you and your family get into the holiday spirit and feel like celebrating. When the season starts in earnest, have your normal decorating routine complete with lighthearted holiday music.

As you sort through your decorations, take note of any you might not care to display this year. One of the best ways to make your move more manageable is to downsize before the big event, and downsizing always starts with evaluating the items you keep locked out of sight the majority of the time. While you’re decorating, ask yourself to be honest about what you really need in your life and keep a box on hand to put the stuff to donate, sell, recycle, or trash.

When moving day approaches, pack the holiday decorations with your other essentials to be unloaded first when you arrive at your new home. After you’ve unpacked your kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom essentials, unpack the holiday decorations and let the merry spirit fill your new home. What better way to settle into your new place than to make it feel like a cozy Christmas haven right as Christmas rolls in?

The closing of the year brings significantly shorter days, which you might not think about until you’re stumbling around in the dark trying to complete your move. When you know the date you will be able to move, look up the sunrise and sunset times to get a gage on how much daylight you will have for the move. 

Make an estimate of how much time your move will require. If you need some help coming up with an estimate, All My Sons Moving & Storage has provided average moving times from almost 56,000 local moves in our guide for creating a moving time estimate.  Remember to account for special items in your household that may require unique care when moving and any other logistical concerns like tight doorways, elevators, or parking concerns. 

Now you have in hand a moving time estimate and your sunrise and sunset time. Plan your move day around these two figures. This could mean that you start your day as early as possible, or you make a plan to hire additional moving crew members.

Moving during peak season means sweat, tears, and heat exhaustion. Your cool-weather move looks a whole lot more appealing right now, doesn’t it? Not so fast, holiday mover! Keep an eye on your weather forecast, there could be serious winter storms around the corner. 

You and your family should have your heavy winter coats, gloves, mittens, and boots in an accessible location during your move. The flip flops and swimsuits can probably go in the boxes immediately. 

While moving during extreme weather is not impossible, it is very difficult. If roads get closed from too much snow or ice, it might be safest to reschedule your move. Keep in close contact with your movers when winter weather threatens and try to be as flexible as possible.

If you find yourself moving when there is snow or ice on the ground, always take a moment before you begin loading or unloading to look around for potential hazards like steep, ice-covered driveways or staircases. Get a winter shovel or buy some salt to clear the area of snow or ice so that you, your family, and your movers can safely navigate as they go back and forth.

Don’t forget to take a break for a family snowball fight or group snowman build.

During the summer months you might have the luxury of running out and grabbing things you need for your move at the last possible second. Most places will be open their normal hours, provided you are not moving during a summer holiday like Fourth of July or Memorial Day Weekend. Even if you are moving on a summer holiday, there are usually a few places still open for business these days. But holiday mover beware, the winter holidays tend to shut everything down. This means your holiday shopping, supply runs, and even your plans for food will have to revolve around the holiday hours of your nearby establishments.

Plan ahead to ensure you have all the moving supplies you need. It is better to overprepare and have boxes left empty than it is to run out of boxes on Thanksgiving day and have nowhere to buy more until Monday rolls in. Meal prep or order your takeout ahead of time so you and your family aren’t left hungry when all the grocery stores close.

If your move will require you to stay in a hotel, remember that the holidays are a booming travel season. Lots of places will book up fast, so snag your accommodations early. 

While November and December are the off-season for movers and you could be catching a great price, movers are regular people who like to spend holidays with their friends and family too. This might mean that your moving company of choice has to work around their own holiday closures and the availability of their staff looking to take some much-needed paid time off. When you know you’re moving, call and book your movers as soon as you can to get your preferred date locked in and stay in contact to confirm.

Christmas can clear a bank account in one careless shopping trip if you’re not paying attention. With your move looming just as large as the holidays, you need cash on hand for your moving budget. 

When you create your November and December budgets, plan for both the move and the holidays. Have a fund for unexpected emergencies and the hidden costs of moving as well. 

If you’re strapped for cash, then remember the real reasons for the season. You don’t have to buy a bunch of expensive gifts this year. Try limiting to one thoughtful gift per special person and never underestimate the power of a homemade gift or kind gesture.

When your place is in transition, it can be difficult to host a gathering. You could try feeding a crowd a Thanksgiving feast when all your kitchen utensils are packed or get all your guests assembled in a living room that looks like a chaotic maze of boxes. If that’s just too much, you could skip out on playing the holiday host altogether.

For this season, your family and friends will likely understand if you ask to pass the torch off to someone else. When someone else is hosting the holiday, all you have to do is pile your family and the gifts in the car and show up. If you’re handling the holidays this way, you can probably pack all your holiday decorations early and breathe easier. 

If you do choose to host a gathering, make sure to set manageable expectations for yourself. Try to handle food potluck-style if your kitchen needs to be packed or make a small, simple meal for everyone. Leave up the decorations that make the place feel like home for the gathering and then when all the guests have departed, take them down and pack them into moving boxes until next year in your new home.

All packed with the gifts all wrapped, you’re good and golden for your holiday move. Now is the perfect time to practice thankfulness for this closing chapter of your life as you embark into the next year in your new home. As the clock counts down to midnight on New Year’s Eve, hold your family and friends close and let yourself feel the exhilarating excitement of anticipating the future knowing you made your holiday move without skimping out on celebrations or your moving checklist. 

Now that your move is imminent, cross one big item off your moving checklist and call All My Sons Moving & Storage to perform your holiday season move. Our company has helped countless families and businesses make a smooth relocation over almost 30 years and we would be delighted to bring that same customer-centric care to your move. Take a breather from the holiday gift wrapping and have All My Sons Moving & Storage perform our special professional packing services for you, get some quality packing supplies, or simply book your local or long-distance move with us and sit back while we do all the heavy lifting. Call your local All My Sons Moving & Storage location or get your quote online to get ready for your holiday move.