Moving House at Christmas
, by Box Depot, 4 min reading time
, by Box Depot, 4 min reading time
Moving house can be a stressful ordeal. So can you imagine what it would be like to be doing it at Christmas time, with the added pressure that you want to be settled in your new abode before Christmas Day amidst shopping for the kids presents and Christmas Day dinner. Here's a few tips if you find yourself moving house this Christmas season…
Moving house can be a stressful ordeal.
It can really get on top of you between selling the house, buying another one, packing and moving; not to mention ensuring the children’s school routines, after school clubs and homework are not interrupted.
So can you imagine what it would be like to be doing all of these things at Christmas time, with the added pressure that you want to be settled in your new abode before Christmas Day amidst shopping for the kids presents and Christmas Day dinner.
Here's a few tips if you find yourself moving house this Christmas season…
Although usually you would love to have a white Christmas to play in the snow with the family, make snowmen, go tobogganing and have snowball fights; snow can be a definite negative when moving house.
It could hinder your Removal Van driving so to avoid getting stuck in the snow, salt your path way, drive way and outside pavement to ensure the removals team don’t slip when carrying your glassware and belongings. It's worth bearing in mind, however, that some de-icing salts and grit could play havoc with your new wooden floors or carpets so it may be worth introducing the children to the concept of snow shovels and elbow grease instead.
Make sure you and the children have extra warm clothes to hand on Moving Day, to avoid you all getting cold, ill and irritated.
Most weather conditions for the week are accessible online beforehand, so try to plan the Moving Day around the weather to avoid any snow and make it as easy as possible. And plan some of your Christmas shopping to ease the work load!
You also will have to plan the logistics of Moving House. Packing up your belongings requires packing supplies (here at Box Depot, we believe it's far better to be looking at it, instead of looking for it!) And honestly? With all that is going on at Christmas time, it's far better to start the packing process as soon as possible ... a box or two every evening is nowhere near as stressful as trying to pack an entire house in 48 hours!
If you are using a professional removals company, you will also need to plan with them to ensure that they are available on the dates you want.
Sometimes during all the moving chaos, the little things might slip your memory.
You know you'll need to let people know you're moving house, but it is imperative to let your utilities providers know that you're moving house. This is especially important when moving in Winter, to dodge having zero heating, hot water, gas or electricity. You can imagine the problems when you are trying to put up the fairy lights on the tree and cook the turkey in the oven over Christmas if your utility provider cuts you off (or doesn't even connect you!) for not notifying them!
If you don’t tell you family and friends that you're moving, and give them your new address details, they will probably send your Christmas card and/or gift to your old address (why would they not?!) This goes for the same carol singers that you get year-on-year (well that is unless you want to get rid of them!) And if you don't want something even worse than the Wrath of The In-Laws, you should make sure your children know that Santa would have never let you get the keys to your new place until he was absolutely certain of where exactly he had to go on Christmas Eve!!!
Over the holiday period some local shops might close earlier than usual, especially with the nights getting darker earlier. So be conscious that when you arrive at your new home that you probably won’t have any food in stock, and your nearest corner shop may not be open. Not to mention that you may be unfamiliar with the oven in your new place to be able to cope with a full-on Christmas Dinner! In which case, scout out the area beforehand and get the number for the best local takeaway ... so what?! It's Christmas!
Yes you're going to be exhausted, and it might be the last thing on your mind when you have moved, but getting a few Crimbo Decs up is really important; for security, warmth and Christmas Spirit.
Most people think the first jobs are to unpack and get settled but in winter, it is actually more necessary to hang up the curtains (to keep prying eyes away for security) and to warm the house up. Start getting the tinsel out, if you're up to it put up the tree and make the new house feel homely to help the children to adjust quicker.
Don’t forget what the Season is all about: Although the move can be challenging, don’t miss out on the usual traditions your family do - A crisp winter's day could be perfect for a walk getting to know your new neighbourhood. And don't forget to spend quality time playing board games with the family in your new sitting room!
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