Move in late October, and Thanksgiving shows up about five weeks later, whether or not you've found the roasting pan. Move in November, and you get even less time. Either way, there's a decent chance someone asks, "So, who's doing the turkey?" while half your kitchen is still taped shut.

Realistically, the whole house won't be unpacked by then. What you can manage is a bedroom you can sleep in, a bathroom with everything in it, a kitchen you can cook in, and somewhere to sit. The rest can stay packed until after the holiday.

Pick Your First Rooms Early

Pick your first-week rooms before anything goes into a box. Usually that's the bedroom and bathroom, then the kitchen, then whichever room has the couch. The office, the guest room, and the basement can sit.

That list is worth sharing. If you're hiring a Boston moving company, tell them which rooms come first. Moving day goes better when the people carrying things know the bedroom matters more than the basement, and the bed you'll sleep in shouldn't be the last piece off the truck.

Label the boxes to match. "Kitchen" on a carton tells you very little when you have fourteen of them. "Kitchen – need this week" versus "Kitchen – holiday platters" tells you which one to open at 9 pm when all you want is a bowl.

Bedroom and Bathroom Come First

After hauling furniture since eight in the morning, you'll want to fall into bed, and you won't want to dig through six boxes for the fitted sheet first. Put sheets, a pillow, and your phone charger in a bag that rides in the car with you. Make the bed before you so much as glance at the kitchen.

With the bathroom, it's usually the small stuff. The shower curtain is in one box, the rings are in another, and you find that out halfway through your first shower. To avoid it, put towels, toilet paper, soap, the curtain, and the rings in one tote and load it onto the truck last, so it's the first thing that comes off.

The Kitchen Basics

For the first week, you only need enough to make breakfast and a simple dinner: a few plates and bowls, forks, a pot, a pan, one sharp knife, and the coffee maker.

Leave the stand mixer packed until you actually need it. If a box hasn't been opened after a week or so, it can probably wait a bit longer. The shelf liners can definitely wait until spring.

Setting Up the Living Room

At this stage, the living room just needs a place to sit, a lamp, and a small table for plates or cups. The bookshelves can stay empty for now, and the pictures can lean against the wall until December. Most guests won't notice.

If you're hosting Thanksgiving or another get-together this winter, check a few things early. Make sure the table fits the chairs you have and that there's a clear path from the kitchen to the table. If you need more seats, borrowing a few folding chairs from a neighbor or a friend is easier than rushing to finish the house.

When Things Run Late

Something is going to be late. The couch has a six-week lead time, the cable company can't come until a week from Thursday, and the bookcase arrives with half its screws missing. Fall is a busy season for everyone who delivers or installs anything, so you're in a long line.

Make a short list of what's missing and what you'll use in the meantime: the old armchair, the air mattress, your phone as a hotspot. Then pick one room to give up on until after the holiday. All the leftover boxes go in there, and you close the door.

An Unpacking Schedule You'll Actually Keep

Unpacking everything in one weekend sounds great until Saturday at 3 pm, when you're sitting on the floor in a pile of packing paper and can't remember why you started.

Spread it out instead. Bedroom and bathroom on the first night. Kitchen and living room during the first week. Closets and linens the week after. Books, the garage, and that box of tangled cables can wait until you feel like it. Thirty minutes after dinner adds up faster than you'd expect, and if you flatten empty boxes as you go, you'll actually watch the pile get smaller.

By the Time Guests Arrive

Nobody coming over for Thanksgiving expects a finished house. Give them a working kitchen, enough chairs, and a made bed for anyone staying the night, and they'll be happy.

And if the spare room is still full of boxes, keep the door shut and put the coffee on. You can deal with it in January.