The best places to hide presents
When it comes to Christmas presents, kids have a sixth sense; they can smell presents the way a Mom can smell chocolate. You’ve worked so hard to find them the perfect gift, and then, they find the gifts and spoil the whole surprise. I put the presents in garbage bags (new ones) and hid them in the garage with the garbage. The kids still found them. My boys are curious climbers, so I truly have to be very careful , and creative about where I hide the presents. So here is a list of some of 13 of the most creative ways to hide presents.
- Fool them with the location. They always expect the attic, so store them under the bathroom or kitchen sink, or in the laundry room in brown paper grocery bags.
- Put them in storage tubs marked “summer clothes,” or “Valentine’s Decorations.”
- Place them on a high shelf in a linen closet. (This would not work for me, climbers.)
- Consider becoming an Avon representative. One Mom used the Avon boxes that came with products and hid the
presents inside. - The The Purloined Letter approach: Don’t try so hard to hide them. Once, I bought a large rocking horse. There was no where to hide it, so I covered it with a sheet and sat it in the corner of the basement with the tools and painting supplies. They never once looked underneath to see what it was.
- Hide them in suitcases stored in the attic. Or use the empty Christmas ornament storage boxes and tubs to store the presents.
- Place small gifts inside an old purse, plastic bag or briefcase, and hang it in a closet in a spare bedroom that is not used very often.
- My husband tells me his office conference room is full of presents right now. Leave your gifts at work.
- Send the presents to the neighbors — neighbors that don’t have kids who will conspiratorially spy for your kids. My brother, who lives an hour a way, has most of our presents. For me, it’s the safest way to hide presents.
- Trunk of the car. This actually would never work — was this before the invention of the mini van?
- Closet locked with a key. This involves actually buying a pad lock, and installation. However, a locked closet with a key will create a lot of suspicion, planning and will eventually, in my house lead to the capture of the key.
- One Mom hid the presents under her child’s bed! She never cleaned under there, and so she never found them. I’m actually considering this one. The one place they will never go.
- My parents actually put them wrapped, under the tree. I peeked one year. It was so hard trying to act surprised on Christmas morning. I vowed never to peek again.
You will probably end up using many variations of these hiding places. This can be dangerous. You may have hid them so well that you aren’t able to remember where all the presents actually are when you’re sneaking them out on Christmas Eve.
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I hide mine in plain sight. they never seem to notice.
We don’t have to deal with this right now, since the Little Mister is only six months old. But I would totally be the one to hide presents so well I forgot where I put them!!
I hide mine in the attic, for now. I know that hiding place won’t last forever because that kid of mine is into everything!
I don’t have little children any more, but it was always quite a feat to hide presents. And from ME when I was a child. (my mom always went for under her bed…) I’d peek but not too hard as I did want to be surprised..
Happy TT-13!
Smiles,
Holly
http://theabundanceplace.com/
I always go with the “Purloined Letter” approach. Plain site hiding always manages to fool my family. Happy TT. I’m giving away a calendar with my TT this week.
I used to hide them under my bed.
I usually hide them in my son’s room. LOL! He never finds them.
Just don’t forget where you hid them. My mom hid a bunch of things on year, and didn’t find them unti July. She let us open them still, though. LOL.
Another thing, my mom would get things for me and tell me they were for other people, and that worked until I was about 14. 
Happy TT!
My Mom used to put them under the tree, with no tags. We searched for codes on the back – sometimes we opened the wrong gifts, when she couldn’t remember who got the odds and who got the evens.
Then again, she always slaved away on the 24th, her birthday, making this delightful for us, so she gets a pass.
I hide things in my office, among the books. I’m lucky the family can find me in here (or am I? I sure get stuff done while they’re looking for me!), let alone anything that shouldn’t be.
Happy TT!
Love #9! Great, safe idea.
#12 is great. It wouldn’t work here as they house a lot of toys under their beds, but still, great!
Love your list!!
FABULOUS and timely! My oldest is 8 and he keeps ’stumbling’ into my hiding spots. This post is perfect! You’ve given me some excellent ideas — THANKS!!
When you get to be the Grandma you don’t worry so much about them finding the gift…you worry about where you put them! LOL Great Ideas.
You must love those kids so much to work so very hard. It warms my heart. Thanks for sharing!
Happy TT!
I remember one year when we had guests over a few weeks before Christmas. My brother excused himself to use the bathroom. Several minutes later he came running back into the living room proudly displaying his Ghostbusters toy my parents had hidden from him. At least he was shouting thanks as he started tearing open the package. My mom was not happy that night.
Great list, though. I’ll have to keep it in mind when I eventually have kids.
ha! My kids ALWAYS found their gifts. Oh well, they enjoyed the search. i guess it’s part of the tradition
Mom always uses her office… but lately she decided to just hand it over to me early. Hahaha. ‘Christmas’ could happen any day
If I hide in too many places, I would forget where they were all at. LOL- I am up too:
http://momtoanangel.blogspot.com/2007/11/tt-13.html
Great ideas. I’m with Michelle! My husband and I recently found one of last year’s gotta-haves in a storage tub in the cellar!
Great ideas! My kids were never that curious, and good thing– one year I bought all the Christmas gifts in summer. By Christmas I had forgotten what I’d bought, and where I put it, and ended up buying more!
My mother always hid things in the bathroom cupboards. We laughed about it growing up, but now that I’m a mother, I appreciate it! lol. Great ideas. Have a nice day.
Some great ideas here! My kids always used to sniff out my hiding places.
I always put them wrapped, under the tree. My other weapon is to tell the kids (and husband) where I am hiding them, but that I will know if they look for them/find them and I will give those presents away and they won’t get them for Christmas afterall.
I am so mean, but it totally works.
My parents used to wrap them and leave them under the tree too. We were so good at re-wrapping
I usually hide as much as I can in my bedroom closet, along the top shelf, inside bags and boxes.
Mine are still small enough to get away with hiding them in the attic, but I don’t want to go up there anymore than they do LOL
Fantastic ideas. I currently do most of my shopping online so I just leave them in the boxes as they arrive. This can come back to bite you though if something doesn’t come and you THINK it’s in the un opened box.
I imagine the key is REMEMBERING where you hid them! As for me, I like to use the secret compartment under the backseats in my SUV.
These are great! I’m one of those people who finds forgotten gifts sometime in February or March. The earlier I start shopping, the greater the potential for loss.
I love the one about hiding it under their beds. Oh my gosh! Too funny! My oldest is still too young to understand what’s going on. Her presents are in the basement and she thinks a monster lives down there so she’d not going there. LOL! But I will have to remember those in the future!
We’ve tried the back of our minivan before.. It really doesn’t work well, even with a blanket over them.
My mom used to put them in her closet and lock the door. We’d still get in while she was at work. I plan on telling my son I didn’t get him anything and hiding them in my husbands garage.
Thanks for the holla!!!
Interesting that we have similar backgrounds….if I could be so bold, could you expand on that a bit? (nervous giggle)
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This year I had them hid where my husand told me to and my daughter was school so she had no idea!I had them hiiden the laundry room closet she is never in ther!The day I hid them she claims she was hiding my and her fathers gift when she found hers!If you try that be sure to have them in a storage tub thats always there and put a top on it!:)
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I am 14 and i always find my gifts. I just cant help not looking. My mom never finds out. I always find them on the highest shefl in er closet or in suitcases. If your trying to find them look at stors they shop at online. This year i loked in there account on a website and found the one thing i wanted for Christmas. Other kids out there be careful to make sure your parents don’t find out because they will most likly return them. My mom told me if i find out what im geting she will return them. So know you have to be very sneaky.