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To relocate during the holiday season, schedule your movers early, plan around peak travel days and building closures, and leave extra time for winter delays. Keeping essential items and holiday décor accessible can make a November or December move easier without putting seasonal plans completely on hold.
Relocating around Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s requires more planning than moving during a typical week. Holiday travel, business closures, and limited scheduling options can affect everything from your moving date to the time you receive the keys to your new home. Booking experienced movers in Maryland early can help you secure a date that works with your holiday plans. If you need to relocate during the holiday season, you do not necessarily have to postpone the move until January. Here & Now Movers operates through December 30, making late-December moves possible before New Year’s Eve. The key is to schedule early and plan the relocation around holiday closures and peak travel days rather than treating it like a regular off-season move.
Why People Move During the Holidays
Holiday moves are rarely scheduled simply because someone prefers to spend December surrounded by moving boxes. In many cases, the timing comes from a lease, a new job, or an employer that needs a relocation completed before the new year.
Lease Expirations Can Determine the Moving Date
Renters whose leases end in November or December may have little reason to delay the move until January, especially if extending the lease means paying for another month. Maryland tenants also need to pay close attention to their lease terms and notice requirements. Many leases renew automatically unless the tenant gives notice before the specified deadline, so the end date can effectively determine when the household needs to move.
Job Changes Do Not Stop for the Holidays
A new position, transfer, or change in work location can also require a November or December move. Some Maryland leases even include provisions that allow early termination after an employer transfers a tenant to another location, although the exact rules depend on the lease.
For moves that cross state lines or cover several hundred miles, working with long distance moving companies in Maryland can make it easier to coordinate pickup and delivery around a fixed start date.
Year-End Corporate Relocations Create December Moves
Companies also relocate employees near the end of the calendar year. A business may want an employee settled before a January start date, a new assignment, or the beginning of the next operating year. That can leave the employee with only a few weeks to arrange housing, transportation, packing, and the move itself.
For these households, waiting until after the holidays may not be practical. The moving date follows the lease or employment timeline, making careful holiday planning more important than choosing a more convenient season.
Challenges of Holiday Moving
Lower moving demand does not necessarily make a November or December relocation simple. Holiday travel puts additional pressure on major roads, while residential moving companies in Maryland, property managers, leasing offices, and other services may operate on reduced schedules. These issues become especially important when you need to relocate during the holiday season on a fixed date.
Holiday Traffic Can Disrupt Moving Schedules
Thanksgiving week creates some of the most difficult driving conditions of the season. For Thanksgiving 2025, the Maryland Transportation Authority advised I-95 drivers to travel before noon or after 10 p.m. on Tuesday, November 25, and before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26 to avoid the busiest periods. On Saturday and Sunday, November 29–30, the recommended windows were before 8 a.m. or after 10 p.m.
The problem extends beyond I-95. AAA and INRIX estimated that the Washington-to-Baltimore trip via the Baltimore-Washington Parkway could take 1 hour and 50 minutes at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 25—166% longer than usual. Moving during these peak periods can push loading, travel, reserving parking when moving to DC, and unloading well beyond the original schedule.
Moving Availability Becomes More Limited
December is outside the summer moving peak, but that does not mean every date remains open. Crews may have fewer working days around Thanksgiving and Christmas, while customers often compete for the same limited dates before a lease expires or holiday travel begins.
Booking local movers in MD early is particularly important when your move must happen during the final week of the month or immediately before a major holiday.
Building Management May Have Reduced Holiday Hours
Apartment and condo moves create another scheduling issue. Leasing offices and property managers may close on holidays, shorten office hours, or have fewer staff available between Christmas and New Year’s. This matters even if you plan to move into a DC building without an elevator, since management may still control loading access, reserved parking areas, entry procedures, or designated moving hours.
For buildings with elevators, reduced staffing can also affect freight elevator reservations. Key pickup, move-in paperwork, loading-dock access, and certificates of insurance may require advance approval. Confirm these requirements before setting the moving date. A moving crew arriving on time will not help if management cannot provide access to the building.
How to Plan Around the Holidays?
A holiday move leaves less room for last-minute changes. Travel peaks, office closures, winter weather, and personal holiday plans can all affect the schedule, so several parts of the relocation should be arranged earlier than they would be during a normal off-season move.
Book November and December Moves by October 31
If possible, aim to have your moving company booked by October 31 for a November or December move. This gives you a better chance of securing the date you want before Thanksgiving travel and the late-December holiday period limit your options. It also allows your selected movers to pack electronics and your other stuff without hurry.
Confirm the moving date with your building as well. Ask about permitted moving hours, elevator reservations, loading areas, certificates of insurance, and holiday closures. If you are moving between two managed buildings, check the requirements at both addresses before confirming the schedule.
Pack Earlier Than Usual
Start with belongings you will not need before moving day, including books, extra linens, seasonal clothing, rarely used kitchenware, and packing Christmas decorations and decorative items that are not part of your holiday plans. Leave daily essentials and the holiday items you still intend to use until later.
If December commitments leave little time to pack an entire household, professional packing services can cover everything from fragile kitchenware and electronics to furniture and full-room packing.
You can also hire help for packing breakable items only, or packing the rooms or belongings that require the most time.
Ship Some Boxes Ahead for a Small Move
For a small relocation, you may not need every box to travel with you on moving day. UPS and FedEx allow customers to ship boxes directly to a new address, which can be useful for books, clothing, linens, gifts, and other manageable items.
Compare shipping costs with the value and weight of the contents before choosing this option. Avoid sending irreplaceable documents, jewelry, medications, or items you will need immediately after arrival. Don’t forget packing supplies. Schedule deliveries for a date when you or someone you trust can receive the packages.
Build Extra Time Into Moving Day
Do not plan a holiday move around the assumption that every part of the day will run on schedule. Leave additional time for traffic, parking, building access, and changing weather conditions.
Check the forecast and road conditions before the crew arrives, clear snow or ice from entrances, and keep your phone charged for updates. Pack IDs, medications, chargers, keys, basic toiletries, warm clothing, and important documents separately so they remain accessible even if unloading takes longer than expected.
Keeping the Season Intact During a Move
Choosing to relocate during the holiday season does not mean Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s celebrations have to disappear between moving boxes. The easiest approach is to separate the belongings you need for the season from everything that can stay packed until the move is complete.
Pack Holiday Decorations Last and Unpack Them First
If you decorate for the holidays, keep a small selection of decorations out while packing the rest of the house. Lights, a few ornaments, stockings, or other favorite items can go into one clearly labeled box that you load near the end. At the new home, make that one of the first boxes you open.
Use the same approach for gifts. Keep wrapped presents together and separate from ordinary moving boxes so they do not get buried in the truck or accidentally unpacked with household items.
Keep Holiday Essentials Within Reach
Set aside anything you expect to use during the first few days in the new home. In addition to toiletries, chargers, medications, clothes, and basic kitchen supplies, your essentials can include holiday pajamas, children’s favorite seasonal items, gifts, and simple decorations.
Food also requires some planning. Instead of moving a refrigerator full of ingredients, use up perishables during the week before the move and plan a simple first meal at the new home.
Leave Room for Weather-Related Changes
Avoid building your entire holiday schedule around an exact moving-day timeline. This is particularly important when moving under Chesapeake Bay weather conditions, where rain, freezing temperatures, ice, or snow can affect roads and loading conditions during the winter.
If bad weather adds an hour or two to the move, having a flexible dinner, gift exchange, or family gathering prevents a logistical delay from disrupting the entire holiday. Keeping the celebration simple for a day or two also gives you time to settle in before returning to your usual traditions.
Relocate During the Holiday Season With a Clear Plan
You can relocate during the holiday season without giving up the celebrations that matter to you. The key is to book early, account for holiday traffic and building closures, and leave extra room for winter delays. Keep seasonal items accessible and confirm moving-day details in advance. Request a free moving estimate early to secure a suitable date and plan your holiday relocation before schedules become limited!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it a good idea to move during the holiday season?
Yes. November and December can work well for a move, especially when your lease, job, or closing date determines the timing. However, holiday traffic, business closures, and winter weather make advance planning more important.
How early should I book movers for a holiday move?
For a November or December move, aim to book by October 31 when possible. Earlier scheduling gives you more flexibility to choose a date before Thanksgiving, Christmas, and end-of-month availability becomes limited.
What are the hardest days to move around the holidays?
The days immediately before and after Thanksgiving and Christmas can be difficult because of heavier road traffic and reduced business hours. Thanksgiving week is particularly busy on major Maryland routes, including I-95. Maryland also observes Thanksgiving and the following Friday as state holidays.
How can I keep celebrating the holidays while moving?
Pack a small selection of decorations, gifts, and seasonal essentials separately. Load holiday décor last so you can unpack it early at the new home instead of searching through dozens of boxes.
What should I check before moving into an apartment during the holidays?
Confirm building access, permitted moving hours, parking or loading rules, elevator reservations, key pickup, and any certificate of insurance requirements. Contact management early because holiday closures or reduced staffing can limit when these arrangements can be completed.
