No one loves moving, but moving during the holidays? Well, that might be the absolute worst.
Your friends are happily unpacking family heirloom ornaments; you're digging through box after poorly labeled box looking for the toilet paper. Your neighbors are cozily gathered around the TV, watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" for the 945th time; your loved ones are sitting in awkward silence, because no one can remember where they packed the TV remote.
It isn't pretty.
You say you know someone going through this particular slice of holiday hell? Give them a hand! No, we don't necessarily mean disrupt your own festivities to physically help them -- we mean gift them. Understand that the last thing anybody in this situation needs right now is a charcuterie serving platter. (Seriously. They just moved. They aren't thinking about dinner parties, we promise.)
Instead, spread some holiday cheer (or just some good-hearted mocking) with these gifts they can actually use to get through this nightmare already.
First aid
Whether they're moving too fast with the box cutter or dropping boxes on someone's foot, someone is bound to get injured at least once in this whole debacle. Offer the gift of healing with these Macaroni & Cheese Bandages ( Amazon.com $11.99), which also remind them they have no food in the house. (Is the free prize inside mac 'n' cheese? Please let it be mac 'n' cheese.)
Giant stress ball
Somewhere between losing the box cutter for the third time and remembering that entire room of unopened boxes, they're going to want to punch something. In situations like these, a regular stress ball won't do. They need to take their frustrations out on a giant stress ball such as this one. With a big smiley face. ( Amazon, $23.98)
Hand truck
You'll never have a better time to tell your friends, "Hey, we're too old for this stuff," than when you're helping rearrange the living room furniture after the movers put it down wrong. Soften the blow (and the pressure on your back) with a hand truck. ( Amazon, $75.47)
Furniture sliders
Might as well throw some furniture sliders in, too, since you'll never come over to help redecorate that living room again. (Bed Bath & Beyond, $16.99)
Magic kit
There comes a point after every move where the empty boxes start to multiply until they outnumber all of your stuff and all of your patience. Maybe with this magic kit they can make them all disappear! ( Amazon, $39.95)
A dose of reality
You could say "welcome" with "live love laugh," but no one feels like doing any of those things after an 18-hour moving day. Instead, shoot for some realism and start them off on the right foot with this brutally honest doormat. ( UncommonGoods, $50)
Hide-a-key
Looking for a practical gift that keeps on giving? With a hide-a-key, your pals won't have to worry when they take the U-Haul back, grab the truck keys, and forget the house keys because they're so tired they want to cry. Bonus: No one's likely to touch this one to see if it's real. ( Perpetual Kid, $7.99)
Sanity on a roll
Because they're going to forget where they packed it. ( Amazon, $19.95)