December is a great time to see how a home really works. Schedules change, kids are off school, guests stay over, and the kitchen is busier than usual. The same rooms that feel fine in a quiet week can feel very different when the house is full.
Many homeowners start thinking about a possible move in the new year, especially if 2026 feels like the right time frame. Before jumping to a decision, it helps to watch how your home functions during the holidays. This checklist is designed to turn those observations into something more concrete, so you can decide whether it makes sense to stay and make small changes, plan a renovation, or start preparing for a move in 2026.
You can walk through these questions over a weekend, or keep them in mind throughout the month and jot down notes. The goal is not to look for perfection. It is simply to notice patterns and pressure points that show up when your home is doing its hardest work.
How to Use this Checklist
As you go through each question, you can sort what you notice into three simple buckets:
- Stay and tweak: small changes to layout, furniture, storage, or routines.
- Renovate: bigger projects that change the flow, open or close spaces, or add usable square footage.
- Move: needs that are hard to solve within the current footprint or location.
You do not need clear answers right away. Often, just naming what feels off is enough to clarify what kind of solution might be needed later.
When everyone is home, do you have enough true quiet space?
During the holidays, more people are home at the same time. There are school breaks, remote work days, and family members visiting. Pay attention to how easy or difficult it is for someone to take a call, read, or rest without interruption.
Ask yourself:
- Is there at least one spot where a person can work or study with the door closed?
- Do people end up hiding in bedrooms or sitting in the car to make calls?
If quiet space is the main issue, small adjustments might help, like changing how a room is set up or adding a divider. If there is simply no way to carve out privacy, even with rearranging, that points to either a future renovation or a different layout in your next home.
Do your main gathering spaces feel comfortable or overloaded?
Think about the living room, family room, and dining area when the house is busy. When you host, do people have a natural place to sit, talk, and move around, or do traffic jams form around the table, the sofa, or the hallway?
Notice:
- Where people cluster during parties or casual drop-ins.
- Whether chairs and tables are easy to move through, or if guests are squeezing by each other.
- If anyone ends up standing because there is nowhere comfortable to sit.
Sometimes, a simple furniture swap or a better layout solves congestion. If the room is already as open as possible and still feels too tight with your usual group, you may be reaching the limits of the current floor plan.
Can your kitchen keep up with real cooking?
Holiday meals are a clear test of kitchen function. This is when every surface, outlet, and appliance tends to be in use.
Ask yourself:
- Do you have enough counter space for prep, serving, and cleanup?
- Are you relying on extra tables or makeshift surfaces to get through a big meal?
- Do you trip over other people when more than one person is cooking?
If the kitchen can handle everyday meals but strains only during the largest gatherings, a few tweaks might help, such as better storage, a movable island, or different small appliances. If the kitchen feels cramped even on a regular weeknight, you may want to think about whether a renovation or a future move is the better long term answer.
Is there a practical spot for coats, shoes, and bags when guests arrive?
Entry areas get a workout in winter. Wet boots, heavy coats, and holiday packages show how prepared your home is for comings and goings.
Notice what happens at the door:
- Do coats pile up on chairs or the back of the sofa?
- Do shoes spread through the hallway?
- Is there a logical place for bags, keys, and mail?
Often, this is a classic stay and tweak issue. Hooks, benches with storage, better lighting, and clear surfaces can make the same square footage feel more organized. If your entry opens directly into a main room with no space to add storage at all, a future renovation that adds a small mudroom or closet might rise on the priority list.
Where do overnight guests actually sleep?
Guest space does not need to be formal, but it does need to function. Pay attention when friends or family stay over.
Consider:
- Do guests have a door that closes, or are they in a high traffic area?
- Is there easy access to a bathroom at night?
- Does hosting overnight visitors feel manageable, or does it disrupt the whole house?
If you rarely host, this might not be a major factor. If overnight visits are part of your life, it can highlight whether a simple change, such as a sofa bed or better lighting, will work, or whether your needs point to finishing a basement, rethinking a bonus room, or seeking a different layout.
Do hobbies, wrapping, and kids' activities have a place when the house is full?
December often brings extra projects: gift wrapping, baking, puzzles, crafts, or workouts squeezed in between events. Watch where these activities land.
Ask:
- Is there a surface that can be claimed for a project and left in place for a few days?
- Do kids have space for toys or games without blocking walkways?
- Does exercise gear come out only to be put away immediately because it is in the way?
If every project takes over the dining table, you may benefit from adding a dedicated surface or zone, even a small one. If there is simply no spare corner, it may signal that the home is tight for your current lifestyle even outside the holidays.
How well does your storage handle seasonal overflow?
Extra linens, holiday decor, serving pieces, and winter gear all test your storage systems. This is a good time to notice whether you are short on space or simply short on structure.
Take note:
- Are closets packed to the point where things fall out?
- Do you store items in hard to reach spots that make setup and cleanup slow?
- Are you using garages, hallways, or spare rooms as overflow for bins and boxes?
Sometimes, a focused declutter and better shelving can solve this. In other cases, if you have already edited and still feel short on storage, it may point toward adding built ins, finishing a storage room, or looking for a home with more practical built in space.
Are there rooms that never get used, even in your busiest month?
When the house is full, unused rooms stand out. A formal dining room that sits empty while everyone crowds a smaller table, or a spare bedroom that holds storage only, can be a sign that your square footage is not aligned with how you actually live.
Ask:
- Which rooms do people avoid?
- Which rooms pull more than their share of work?
- Could you repurpose rarely used rooms to relieve pressure elsewhere?
Sometimes, the answer is as simple as changing a formal room into a playroom, office, or guest space. If you have already tried that and it still feels off, it may influence whether you renovate or look for a different layout in your next home.
How do noise and privacy feel when the house is busy?
Sound carries in different ways depending on ceiling height, flooring, and layout. An open concept space can feel lively during a party but loud during an extended visit.
Notice:
- Whether sound from the main living area reaches bedrooms early in the night.
- If TV, music, or game noise makes it hard for anyone to rest or focus.
- Whether closing doors actually helps, or if walls are thin and gaps are common.
This can often be improved with rugs, curtains, door adjustments, or better zoning of activities. If privacy is a steady concern and there is no clear way to separate spaces, a larger project or a future move may be on the table.
Can you see this home still working for you in 2026 and beyond?
After you have paid attention to these details, step back and think about the next few years. Consider work patterns, aging parents, kids growing up, or changes you expect in your routine.
Ask yourself:
- If nothing major changed about the house, would you still feel comfortable living here through 2026?
- Would a focused round of updates make this home feel right again?
- Do you keep circling back to needs the current house cannot reasonably meet?
There is no single correct answer. Some homeowners find that a few targeted projects restore a good fit. Others decide that the cost and disruption of renovation do not make sense and that a move is the clearer path.
Using your answers to plan next steps
This holiday checklist is not a test your home passes or fails. It is a way to turn everyday frustrations and bright spots into specific notes you can use later. You might end up with a short list of tweaks for the new year, a plan to meet with a contractor, or a sense that it is time to start mapping out a move in 2026.
If you would like a second set of eyes on your list, you can share what you noticed and walk through the options with a local market expert, estimated timelines, and likely resale impact. Oftentimes, real estate agents have a long list of stagers, contractors, plumbers, electricians, etc. that they trust and will happily recommend. That way, whether you stay and renovate, or decide to sell in 2026, the choice comes from a clear view of how your home fits the way you live.
