Moving can be both exciting and stressful for individuals and families. Holidays can also be exciting and stressful. When possible, we suggest holding off moving your household until after a major holiday. This is not always possible. We understand. The best way to move forward is with a plan. We have put together some tips for moving during the holidays, to help you with your moving plan. Be well, be safe, enjoy your move and have a happy holiday!
Holiday Packing Plan: Draft a packing plan. Plan to pack a little several times each week over the course of a month. Take your time and enjoy the process of packing your household items room by room. Continue to attend and enjoy holiday parties, gatherings, and spending time with loved ones, and then get back to work.
Holiday Cards: Include your new address in your holiday cards for friends and family. Include a photo of your new home (or favorite detail) in the holiday greeting/change of address card. Share the excitement with your loved ones.
Holiday Gifts: There are a lot of things to pack up when getting ready to move. Consider asking friends and relatives to send gifts to your new home address after you have moved in (so you have less to move). You might receive gifts a couple of weeks after the holiday, but you will appreciate the gifts much more when you don’t have to move them along with all of your other belongings. If you receive gifts at your current address, leave them wrapped or in the shipping box (confirming they contain nothing perishable). Those gifts are already packed for the big move!
Give yourself permission to send belated holiday gifts. Your holiday greeting/change of address card will let everyone know you are moving. You can use the same card to let your loved ones know a gift will follow after the move.
A Season of Giving: Moving households is a great time to itemize belongings, throw away old unused trinkets and broken items, and donate gently used household items and clothing to charity. The best things to donate are things you loved and enjoyed, but no longer use. Someone else can enjoy those things. Give them away. The less you have to move the better. You will appreciate unpacking the things that you love and putting them away in your new home much more: when you don’t have to move and unpack the material riffraff.
Holiday Parties: Go to the parties you want to go to. You want to have fun. Enjoy the parties in moderation. People will understand if you can only stay for an hour or two. You might even attract a little help the following day (but they might not show up until the afternoon after the lingering effects of the holiday eggnog wear off).
Don’t go to the parties you don’t want to go to. Moving is time-consuming and friends and relatives will understand when you aren’t able to attend. Be polite and let them know you won’t be at the party as you are busy packing for the move.
If your home is a traditional gathering spot for friends and family, consider letting everyone know you won’t be hosting this year but will again next year in your new home. If you need to host a gathering in your current home, consider inviting fewer people and having the gathering catered to reduce anxiety and increase your holiday joy.
Let it Snow: Be prepared for inclement weather during winter months. If you are moving to a colder region of the country, understand that it might be snowing when you arrive. Plan accordingly. Schedule the utilities to be turned on in time for your arrival. Heating is imperative in the winter in many parts of the country, as an unheated home can quickly suffer damage when unoccupied (frozen pipes that burst create quite a mess). When moving to a household on Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, or in and around South Florida it is still very important to schedule the utilities. You will enjoy unpacking when the lights are on, the temperature is just right, the refrigerator is cold and the stove is ready and waiting to cook the perfect roast for a holiday meal in your new home!
Kingfisher Real Estate agents are the most well respected group in today’s marketplace serving Captiva Island & Sanibel Island. We look forward to helping you with all your real estate needs. Contact us today!