Moving during the holidays: what to plan
How to plan a move between Thanksgiving and New Year's, from holiday closures and delivery delays to mail forwarding and where the gifts go.
The BoxTrack team · · 5 min readThe lease started on December 20, so that was moving day. It seemed tidy: new place before Christmas, presents under a tree in the new living room. Then the movers' crew loaded the wrapped gifts from the hall closet along with everything else. On Christmas Eve, the presents were somewhere in a stack of 40 boxes in the garage, and nobody knew which one.
A move in the last weeks of the year can work well. It just runs into a few things an ordinary move doesn't: days when offices are closed, a calendar full of other plans, family visiting, and a pile of things that need to be found on a specific date. Here's what to plan for.
Mark the days nothing happens
Three federal holidays land in the stretch most people call "the holidays." In 2026, the Office of Personnel Management lists Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, Christmas on Friday, December 25, and New Year's Day on Friday, January 1, 2027. Federal offices are closed on those days, and the bank, the utility company and the building office may keep holiday hours too, so check each one.
That matters for anything with a deadline: picking up keys, closing on a house, transferring utilities, getting a parking permit for the truck. Two of those holidays fall on Fridays this year, which can make for long weekends where nobody answers the phone. Book around them.
Holiday dates to plan around
Get the delivery dates in writing
If you're hiring an interstate mover, the dates on your paperwork are what count. Federal rules require a mover who can't pick up or deliver on the dates in your bill of lading to tell you about the delay as soon as it becomes apparent, at the mover's expense, and to give you new dates in writing. The mover has to consider your needs when setting them.
What the rules don't do is pay you for the delay unless you bought guaranteed pickup or delivery. FMCSA describes guaranteed service as an extra level of service where the mover reimburses you for delays. If a holiday family visit depends on the furniture arriving, ask whether guaranteed dates are offered and what they cost. Our guide to the FMCSA moving booklet covers the rest of what a mover owes you.
Pack the holidays separately
The biggest difference with a holiday move is that some things need to be found on a particular day. Gifts, the tree stand, the lights, the dish everyone expects at dinner. If those go into the general flow of boxes, they'll come out last.
- Keep wrapped gifts out of the truck. Move them in your car, or have new ones shipped straight to the new address.
- Pack decorations in their own clearly marked boxes and load them last, so they come off first.
- Keep one box of holiday cooking things with the first-night box: the roasting pan, a thermometer, serving spoons.
- Decide what the holiday will look like in the new place before you pack, so you know what has to be reachable.
| Plan | Works well | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Gifts ride in your car | ✓ | They never mix with moving boxes |
| Decorations loaded last | ✓ | First off the truck, easy to find |
| Holiday dinner in week one | ✗ | The kitchen won't be ready; keep it simple |
| Gifts shipped to the old address | ✗ | Forwarding takes time to start |
| One box marked "Christmas stuff" | ✗ | Too vague to find what you need |
If you're hosting Thanksgiving right after you move in, our post on unpacking the kitchen for Thanksgiving lays out the order.
Sort the mail before the cards come
Holiday cards and packages go to the address people have on file, so change yours early. USPS says First-Class Mail is forwarded for 12 months and magazines for 60 days. Forwarding can begin within a few business days of your request, but USPS says it's best to allow up to two weeks.
Then tell people directly. Send your new address to family and anyone likely to mail you a gift, and update it with the stores you order from, since a package sent to the old address may not follow you. Our list of who to notify when you move and free change of address checklist cover the rest.
Plan for winter weather too
A December move is often a winter move. Snow, ice and short days change how the day goes: the crew needs a clear path, electronics shouldn't sit in a freezing truck overnight, and the heat needs to be on at the new place before you arrive. Our guide to moving in winter covers that side.
A holiday moving timeline
Moving in December, step by step
- Eight weeks outBook the mover; ask about guaranteed dates; avoid holiday weeks if you can
- Six weeks outCheck holiday closures for the bank, utilities and building office
- Four weeks outFile your USPS change of address; send family the new address
- Two weeks outPack decorations and holiday cooking things in their own boxes
- Moving weekGifts and holiday boxes go in your car or come off the truck first
- First week inSet up the bed, bathroom and kitchen basics before decorating
Our free moving checklist covers everything else week by week.
Which box are the lights in?
On a normal move, it's fine if the bread maker turns up in March. On a holiday move, you need the stockings by the 24th, and "Holiday" written on six boxes doesn't tell you which one.
BoxTrack keeps a list of what's in every box. When you pack, make a box in the app, snap a photo of what goes in, and AI lists the items for you to check. Print a QR label for each box. When it's time to decorate, search "tree stand" or "stockings" and get the box number, or scan a label to see what's inside without opening it. See how BoxTrack works for a move. Your first box is free.
