Tag Archives: Allston Christmas

If you live in downtown Boston you are aware that it is the day before “Allston Christmas Eve” There isn’t a single Uhaul van or truck available in metro Boston, because tens of thousands of students are descending upon Boston to move in. I don’t know if it is true, but I’ve heard that approximately 50% of the city’s rentals have a September 1st lease.

As a result of the massive number of people moving on the same day, depending on where you live getting around can go from difficult to nearly impossible as the streets of Boston become full of double-parked cars, vans, and trucks starting August 31st. A wide range of discarded household items that are no longer wanted end up on the city sidewalks, starting August 31st. This ‘littering’ of discarded items is probably most acutely felt in the student-dominated neighborhood, Allston, and where / how the term “Allston Christmas” came about.

In case you think I’m making this up, Urban Dictionary added this term in 2008 here and one only needs to type in the phrase in Google and select images to see what the streets of Boston will look like starting August 31st.

If you live in downtown Boston (especially if you’re in a neighborhood with a lot of students) you know it is the eve of what many here refer to as “Allston Christmas”. Not a single Uhaul van or truck is available in metro Boston as the city braces for tens of thousands of students to officially return.

I don’t know if it is true but years ago I read that one out of every four apartment leases in Boston has a September 1 start date, which creates mass havoc in the days leading up to and on September 1st. Starting today and through tomorrow the streets of many neighborhoods will be full of double-parked cars, vans and trucks as tenants start the arduous task of moving from one apartment to the next.

The result of this is that the city sidewalks become littered with unwanted items. This ‘littering’ of every piece of furniture and furnishing imaginable is what is referred to as an Allston Christmas. Although this city-wide move impacts  nearly all of Boston’s neighbohoods, nowhere is the experience more intense than Allston, although many neighborhoods will likely experience their own form of an Allston Xmas.

In case you think I’m making this up, Urban Dictionary added this term in 2008 here and one only needs to type in the phrase in Google and select images to see what the streets of Boston will look like starting August 31st.