How to survive moving house over Christmas

Jayde Walker (Ferguson)
4 min read

Moving house is famously one of the most stressful events in a person’s life. Combined with Christmas, as jolly as its meant to make you, moving house during the holiday season can be a recipe for disaster. That is – if you don’t have a good plan up your sleeves! With trading hours all over the place, shops that have queues out the door and most of us already pulling our hair out; preparing for a move over Christmas takes a lot of courage. Here are a few tips that will ease the stress.

Book in early

There’s nothing like beating the moving blues by booking in early. Finalising a moving date and booking the moving truck as soon as possible will ease a lot of the stress. Believe it or not, Christmas can be a very busy time for moving so companies tend to be fairly booked up. The earlier you can organise the essentials, the sooner you can focus on everything else. If you’re moving interstate, you’ll need to arrange a container to be delivered to your home to pack up in time for the move in date too.

Make a to-do list

To-do lists are your best friend around Christmas time. Whilst it can be a very stressful period for families, it’s also the holiday season so remembering every detail on the fly can be hard. Plus, you want more time for relaxing, eating and drinking with friends and family! Lists are great for surviving the whole moving process and you’ll feel a sense of satisfaction and relief every time you tick something off.

Make lists of all the utilities you need to cancel and set up, booking confirmations, costs, times and dates and what still needs to be packed and organised to ensure you don’t forget anything important. If you’re moving with pets and children, see if a trusted family member or friend can help to entertain them for moving day to reduce anxiety levels during the move.

Organise your packing

The fun part – packing! No one likes the job but it’s got to be done. Most moving companies will recommend that you start packing 2 months before the moving date but if you’ve missed that mark, start as early as you can. Pack your valuables and Christmas presents carefully to avoid any disappointment come Xmas morning. It might be a good idea to put seasonal gifts in an easy to get to box so they don’t get misplaced amid all the clutter.

Utilise original packaging for moving stuff as much as possible and pack breakable items in bubble wrap. Use bedding, towels and clothes to pack in boxes too. Go to your local butcher for packing paper and ask your moving company for quality boxes. Don’t forget to clearly label every box with the room it’s going into it and whether it’s breakable or not!

 For sale: 32 Park Street, Brighton, VIC For sale: 32 Park Street, Brighton, VIC

Decide where you’re spending Christmas

If you’re wanting to spend the holiday season in your new home, make sure you confirm when all furniture will arrive. You don’t want to be in the middle of unpacking come Christmas day when you should be enjoying time with family and friends over scrummy food and drinks! Work out your dates as early as possible so you can commit to both (and still have some breathing time in between). You can notify friends and family the change of address through Christmas cards to kill two birds with one stone too.

Pay bills and inform utility companies

Some utility companies will scale back their operations during the busy holiday season so it’s crucial you get on top of everything early. Finalise all outstanding bills as soon as possible from your previous home and let utility companies know your new address to transfer services over. Leaving important setup calls to the last minute may mean no electricity to cook and keep things fresh for Christmas day. Double check all old services have been disconnected so you’re not paying any more than you should be.

Plan your Christmas shopping early

Don’t leave Christmas shopping to the last minute if you know you’re going to be moving. To reduce stress levels, get any shopping for food and presents out the way as early as you can. If it’s too hard storing items at your home in the middle of the move, see if a family member or friend can keep some stuff at their place to help. If you’re buying any gifts online, make sure your new address has been updated or head down to the local post office to get mail redirected. Don’t forget – the Christmas rush for posting out items is usually busy, so keep this in mind to ensure you have essential items delivered on time.

Call in reinforcements

When all else fails, don’t forget it’s ok to call on family and friends. If you do need to move over the holiday season, don’t commit to taking on too much by yourself. Get other family members to help regarding food or Christmas preparations so you can focus on the move better. Ask a friend to help you pack and move items to the new house to take some of the load and stress off yourself.

Jayde Walker (Ferguson)
This article has been hand crafted by Homely.com.au lifestyle contributor Jayde Ferguson, Jayde is a freelance writer with a passion for outdoor living and entertaining. With a love for design and all things unique, Jayde provides the Homely team with the most up to date changes in property styling trends.

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