What do relocating and the holiday season have in common for military families? Both can be exciting but also stressful. There are enough challenges just in relocating, but those challenges are especially difficult during the holiday season. The organizing, packing, moving, and settling in from a PCS can all dampen the holiday spirit.
Family spoke with military spouse, Tyler Lowe, about her experience with PCS moves to offer valuable tips and tricks to help those moving this holiday season keep the spirit alive.
Tyler is married to Army Sergeant First Class Thomas Lowe; they are currently stationed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska with their three children—Maci (13), twins Kelin and Beckett (7), and their 16-year-old dog, Danica.
How often have you PCS’d, and what have you learned through these moves?
Our family has PCS’d four times so far, and we’ve been fortunate enough to handle all of our moves as full DITY (Do It Yourself) moves, which has been an excellent experience for us. Every move brought learning experiences we weren’t necessarily looking for but were grateful for after the fact. One of the biggest lessons was the importance of staying organized. When it comes to packing, totes and labels are your best friends. We’ve also learned to pack away our holiday decorations in a way that assumes it might be the last time we’ll use them before a move. This year, my husband will be deployed over the holidays, and we have a PCS coming right after his return, so it’s comforting to know that our holiday decor is already packed and ready.
What tips would you give to families relocating during the holiday season?
First and foremost, remember that the holidays are about your family. It’s about making new memories rather than perfecting traditions. For our family, we love our Christmas stockings. They are our “essentials.” They travel with us wherever we go. It may be a small thing, but they are familiar and help us keep the spirit alive wherever we are.
What is one lesson you’ve learned from relocating that you’d like to share with other military families?
The biggest lesson we’ve learned is that family is everything. The five of us are the only ones who share the unique experience of moving together, from saying goodbye to our old home to adjusting to our new one. Each of us has our own perspective on the journey, and that creates a bond. Moving can be stressful, but it also brings you closer as a family. We’ve also learned to be adaptable. For example, when we moved to Alaska, we realized that you need to put up Christmas lights in September— because come November, everything is buried under snow!
Why is it important to settle in quickly during the holidays?
Getting settled as soon as possible helps bring back any sense of normalcy you can control. It allows you to focus on the fun parts of the holidays, rather than being overwhelmed by the chaos of unpacking. It also gives you time to figure out if anything got lost or broken during the move, so you can address those issues early. The quicker you settle in, the quicker you can start making new memories in your new home.
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