We have a need to travel in December, but the dates aren’t set yet. My question is Christmas time a good time to ask for sitters or a terrible time? We can adjust our dates, but it would seem that right around Christmas would be a good time, since so many people are traveling to see loved ones. We are in the Nashville area, with a LOT of new transplants, so I would think a lot of people would want to travel here at that time. Thank you! Michael
Hi Michael,
I can only speak for myself, of course, but I actively looked for a sit over the Christmas period. To be with animals in a new location is very appealing in the winter for some reason! I have secured a 6 week sit, starting just before Christmas and close to family. Many people may be looking for sits in areas where they have family, so it could work out really well over that period. Good luck!
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I always sit over holidays, but for the same couple of people. It has seemed to me that Christmas is a tough time to get sitters — it’s extremely competitive as many sitters also want to be home with their families.
I suggest you list early and offer that your dates can be flexible. Good luck!
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@Elvador so that you get a wide range of opinions, you may want to also look at these posts:
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Hi @Elvador it’s hard to believe that we are discussing Christmas already … although perhaps not so hard it is September!!
There are a number of conversations on the forum about Christmas sits and sitting … here is one such thread which is a great conversations with some helpful insights https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/christmas-sitting/ … to search topics of interest simply use the spyglass and enter any key words.
There are also some excellent articles on the website blog …
Sitters choose to sit for many different reasons and Holiday times are no different, we love sitting at Christmas as we can be near family and friends without being too close … “Sorry we have to leave we have our furry friends to get back to” 
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If you are looking for a sitter for your pet over the Christmas period it is best to go live with your listing ASAP
With more people travelling to see family and friends and a smaller pool of sitters available than usual this is the busiest time of the year.
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I can just speak for us, but we are very open to Christmas/New Year’s sitting, as long as it doesn’t involve travel to and from the location on the actual holidays. As long as we have enough time to prepare adequately (grocery shop, discuss emergency contacts etc. with the homeowners etc.) it could be fun. Things we would definitely look for though are sits of a week or longer, due to holiday travel pricing. But there is a definite appeal to holiday sitting of someone else’s pets, since we no longer have our own. Good luck with your search!
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It’s a great time but there will be a high demand for sitters, so it might be good to list early. We often travel during this time and visit our parents for other occasions. Good success! PS: The advice by Harris2 is great, we would also really not want to travel on 24/25.12 (that would be a complete nightmare with public transportation, at least over here).
I will spend Christmas at the airport. I would have loved to have a sit over Christmas and I guess a lot people would love to. Full time travellers/housesitters need a place on Christmas as well 
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Please add your profile to the forum, (or DM me the link} as you didn’t say how long it what part of town.
I’m not sure how to do that. There’s no “Share” option on the listing. We are closest to Spring Hill, which is 1/2 hour south of Nashville. Very quiet country setting.
@Elvador Here are the instructions you need:
How to embed a link to your listing in your forum username/profile
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I did it, thank you! It’s all new to me.
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We are full time nomads and have done Christmas Sits each year of our membership- in Australia, Singapore & Spain! At Christmas we choose sits that are longer- 3/4 weeks preferably starting mid Dec to mid Jan. This avoids the peak flight costs and gives us a chance to settle in over the holiday period. Right now we are already talking about where we might like to sit over Christmas this year!
We would not choose a Sit that starts on actual holiday days- 25 or ends on 31 Dec.
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As a single sitter, I always look for holiday sits since I don’t spend every holiday with my extended family. Holidays are always better when exploring a new town and furry friends to give me love. I’ve had wonderful hosts who leave up Christmas decorations for me… which is an added blessing! Christmas trimming without all the work haha. I agree with the others posting, post holidays as early as possible. I booked my Christmas sit in early Sept.
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This is what I’m choosing to do this year, too, SitterSandy. I’m not near family and recently moved to a new city so I’m looking forward to spending time exploring a new area and having a furry companion who won’t force me to listen to Christmas carols I started looking for a holiday sit this week and think I’ve secured one (fingers crossed).
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@DeeKay Wonderful! You will love it! I’ve secured a sit in the Northern California Redwoods area. I’m looking forward to lots of hiking, wine tasting and couch cuddles with a very cute pup as my Christmas adventure partner!
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Hello! I am brand new to this process (and TrustedHousesitters) and my family and I are also looking for a Christmas sitter for our 2 pups. This is giving me HOPE that this process is possible. We’ve never left the girls with complete strangers before, as we rarely leave them in general, but flights are booked and the VRBO is paid for, so I guess fingers crossed we’ll find the perfect someone(s) to watch our girls - and our home.
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HI @Alexrose, Welcome to the THS family! Think of your future THS sitter as “Friends you haven’t met yet!” Most sitters on this platform as fabulous and will treat your home and pets like they would their own. Sitters all want a 5 star review posted at the end of the sit, so be assured the sitter will make sure you are happy with the care your pups receive. The only recommendation I can give you is to have a phone / video call with the sitter applicant, get to know each other and share your expectorations of the sitter… and ask what their expectations are of their stay. The best experiences are when both HO and Sitter expectations are aligned. We are a big community, so there can be a wide ranges of expectations on both the HO and Sitter sides.
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I’ve already lined up a sit in a down-town condo in Washington DC for two cats. I’m thrilled and cant wait to binge on all the museums. If this goes well, this is what I’ll do every holiday, find a sit in cities I want to visit - New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago - maybe London, Paris, etc. It seems to me that there are more cat, city opportunities over the holidays.
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