Where Do You Hide Your Pre-Purchased Christmas Gifts?

In luggage in the master bedroom's closet. Never has failed me.
Overflow or large items? Attic or inlaws garage.

One year I got a big box and wrapped it up in birthday paper and said it was for grandma. Hid all the gifts in there. One year we put them in a box in the garage that a washer had come in. One year we left them at my mom's til Christmas eve.

I have a friend who puts everything in black plastic garbage bags and puts them in plain sight in her kind of messy garage. What kid is going to open up a garbage bag? It's worked for her for years and she has 3 kids. I've hidden big boxes of gifts near my husband's basement workbench, in the attic & in my closet. No need to hide much any more, but any place a kid doesn't want to go (think dark and scary) & you'll be fine.

Get a large Rubbermaid container and keep it in the garage. Then you don't even have to smuggle them into the house--can just unload them from the car and put them out of sight.

ETA: To those of you who put them in your closet, I guarantee you that eventually your kids will find them there. We ALWAYS sneaked a peek at our Christmas presents that my mom thought she had so craftily hidden in her overstuffed walk-in closet.

pre-purchased?
are you my SIL??
:X
khairete
S. (who as usual hasn't started shopping yet)

Growing up our next door neighbors were snowbirds, and my parents had keys so they could check on things. It was only a few years ago that my dad confessed that that's where they hid the presents!

Any snowbirds in your neighborhood? Probably not in California.

Last year I still got away with putting them under my bed, but this year I'm going to be utilizing my office at work. Good thing it locks!

In a Rubbermaid bin on a high shelf in my closet, marked "Donations". So far, so good. :)

We used to stash ours in various boxes and bins in the basement. That was great until our septic system flooded the basement in the wee hours of December 24 a few years ago. Luckily I had just picked up the last of the gifts off the floor before that happened! Since then, I store them inside garbage bags that are inside cardboard boxes in the attic. That way if God forbid the roof leaks the plastic bags should protect the items at least a little bit.

I'm super lucky. I have a cedar closet that has a keyed lock on it. I hide the gifts in there until time to wrap them.

In my car, at my work, in suitcases...currently her large gift is hidden in her own closet. She NEVER goes in there!

Great Grandparents home, and then grandparent home.. .. they loved when would go over there to wrap them.. We would visit. and then I would wrap gifts for them to give away..

We also had a couple that lived across the street, the Trampoline boxes were kept in their Garage one year. On Christmas Eve, my husband and I put the whole thing together after our daughter went to bed.. That was pretty funny..

In black plastic bags out in big cupboards in our garage...way in the back where the spiders hide out.

In colored plastic tubs that used to have clothes in them that I saved to pass on to the next kid. I gave away all the clothes to young moms but kept the tubs. Our kids never look in them because they think there are clothes inside...and they too are out in the garage where the spiders hide out.

But boy I hate going out to get those gifts when the holidays get close...I no likey spiders either!

I always put mine in storage bins with lids and label them as something other than what they really are. Or just 'STUFF' , that way no one is usually the wiser and they don't get nosy. Have you got an attic, garage, or closet where you can store them ? If nothing else put some old sheets, blankets or what not on top of the 'stuff' inside the bin so if someone does go snooping, they may be disappointted when they open one up and see sheets, blankets, beach towels or whatever,... always worked at my house ! I start shopping right after Christmas for the next year and some things I can use as Birthday gifts as well. Just a thought , Happy hiding, C. S.

I've hidden small items in my car, behind books on the bookshelf, behind the videos in the entertainment center, under a pile of stuffed animals I put "on display" for the holidays, and my underwear drawer. Oh and any cabinet with cleaning supplies.

Bigger items I store either in the laundry room, since I'm the only one who ever does laundry anyway, which I have large cabinets, or I keep at a friend's house.

If it isn't heavy and isn't too bulgy, I keep a small bag on a hanger, throw a garment bag over it, and keep it in my closet between outfits.

Garage storage closet.
Which has a key to open it.
And I, have the key.

If you choose to leave stuff in your car, be careful. 1. personal property might not be fully covered in the event of car theft or collision. 2. electronics and other items are vulnerable to extreme temps, the sort you might get in the trunk of a car.

No advice on where to hide things.
Best,
F. B.

LOL I started hiding them where...no one but me ever goes...the laundry room!

I have hidden gifts at the neighbours house, at my friends houses and in the garage attic. I also wrap some right away and hide them in plain sight in the cupboards/closet.

I store mine in my office at work.

I wrap as I buy. That drove my son and ex hubby crazy. They'd be wrapped in October and put in a corner til the tree was set up the day after Thanksgiving.

Most of the younger ones have gotten older around here and there is not really a concern but for many years, my garage was used for 3 of my neighbor's Santa gifts.

If you HAVE to have them at home... I have a hard to get to spot in my closet that is like a secret area and I will still hide things back in that area in bags so they are not noticeable.

I am glad I am past that phase! I loved it when I had it but now glad to have moved on. Good luck.

When my kids were young I used to hide them in our camper out in the driveway! Now I hide them in the spare bedroom. I do wrap them as soon as I get them just in case the kids come to visit and go in their room to see if there is anything they have forgotten to take with them when they moved (which there always is!).

I have a great storage area in my laundry room.

Under your bed or in your closet?

My closet under a pile of clutter. :P

I love this post!
I have a huge closet in the laundry room, just there. Nobody wants to go there because I immediately ask them for help with folding and sorting socks!
In the garage also. We have a storage area and it is usually dark, so the kids do not like getting in there.
A. :)

Since our garage is full of things in cardboard boxes they don't even notice a few more that happen to contain their presents. As we get closer things stay in m husband's car since the kids don't ride in it. We also have things sent to my parents house and then pick them up a day or so before and they again stay in my husband's car. It's getting harder and harder as the kids get bigger. I hope to never loose my garage option, have to keep enough stuff in cardboard boxes to make it blend in LOL

We've used a number of spots, depending on how big the items are. Things like bicycles, we leave at neighbors' homes or at my husband's office warehouse. We've also buried things in the garage behind storage bins. Laundry room has also worked well.

Smaller items, I'll hide in my underwear or sock drawer; places that no one would make an effort to look.

I am able to hide some gifts at my parents' house, but for the most part I hide gifts in my closet (underneath the clothes), in the drawers of my dresser (no one ever goes in there and I make sure to hide them underneath something in case someone sees me get clothes out), downstairs in our storage area (I have a few bins that look like a spot for hand me down clothes, but actually can hide things). Other than that, I'm out of spots! My kids seem to be getting into more and more things these days...

Great post and I now have a few new ideas! lol. We hide them in the master closet or in a cedar chest in the master bedroom. One year I hid them in the shower stall of the basement bathroom, because no one ever used that bathroom. I can't wrap as I go or I won't remember what I already bought or if they each have the same amount.

We actually pick names for gift giving among the 6 of us, so it's not my husband and I buying a ton of gifts for 4 kids, each of us buys for one person instead. We each get a set amount of money to spend and my husband and I have to work within those limits, too. This has discouraged selfishness and encouraged the act of giving among our children, they are more interested now in what they are going to give than what they are going to get. "Hiding" these gifts is almost unnecessary, as we all look forward to the Big Reveal on Solstice morning and sneaking peeks ruins that fun.

Mine are on top of our washer and dryer, I have a front load that sits on a base so it works for me.... at least for now.

In a large cooler we have on a top shelf in the garage. or the attic if it is something big.

trunk of car works for some...but I always used the master bathroom nearer x mas...

In this house, I finally have an attic...but kiddos are 'beyond' the finding gifts stage...lol

best

I used to store gifts for my friend and family's kids. I would keep them separated and labeled, and they would pick them up on Christmas Eve. It worked well for them, and didn't put me out any. Maybe your parents, or a close friend would be willing to do the same.

My mom used to hide them in the boxes/bins that held our Christmas decorations out in the garage. My sisters and I looked every year for our presents and we're never able to find them! My mom only let me in on her secret when I had my own kids ;)

In the creepy room behind the furnace, inside old & dusty bins.

When you hide gifts, wrap and tag them first. Then even if they are spotted and the kid sees his name, he doesn't know what is inside.

sometimes we leave them in our car trunk. But then when we get groceries depending on how much is in there we may have to have the kids get in the car before we load the trunk Would he think to look in his own closet? Maybe if there is a shelf up there you could put it in a rubbermade tub. Well I don't know how old your son is. So that might not help.

You could put them in your master closet (my bedroom is not a place that children are allowed unless they knock or I invite them, and they would never think of walking into my closet!)....I store mine in my armoir because they can't open it, or if it's something special for my husband and I don't want him peeking, it's in the trunk of my car underneath my emergency blanket. But it does sound like you need to establish boundaries in the house because your bedroom should be "safe".
My mom stored ours in her cedar chest, and it locked. And yeah, bikes (like this year) are always at someone else's house, within walking distance.

The trunk of the car

I have always kept Christmas presents in the trunk of my car.

There are lots of good places. Attic space, your bathroom cabinet, at work, trunk of the car behind the emergency supplies, little closet next to the furnace.

In my closet I have a dark zip up (dust cover)bag on a hanger for my interview suit. I have hid presents in here. When it is all zipped up no one knows whats inside :)

Ours go in the attic. We keep them in a bin so that things don't slip, fall or get lost.

I just have a couple of those giant Rubbermaid bins and I put stuff in there. I keep it in my room and, fortunately, the kids don't look through my stuff. I usually have something else piled on top of it so it isn't easy to access.

In our guest bedroom and in our attic.

I have a storage room too. My garage...in plain sight really. When I "hide" stuff? The kids find it. If I just leave my bags in a room? they don't touch 'em!! Guess I'm lucky!! :)

Hope that helps!

I either keep mine at work or in the car. If in the car, I keep a giant bag in the trunk and just add stuff to it. That way, if I open the trunk when our son is there, he just sees the giant trash bag that's always there.

If needed I've put them into Rubbermaid plastic totes and put them into various closets or right out in the open where I already had the totes themselves. This way nothing appears to be out of the ordinary and I would know if/when my kids tried to look.

In our closet. We have a lock on it that the kids don't have a key to. This year the gifts are small in size than they have been in the past, so it's easier :).

I used to hide them in the farthest corner of the laundry room, where nobody was usually likely to go.

When I was a kid, we lived in an old house with a lot of character, and my mother used to hide the presents in the window seats!

We have a hall closet that we changed out the door knob. It's a good place to hide stuff, the vacuum, winter coats, etc....it's perfect for presents and stuff we buy up on clearance for sudden birthday party invitations.

Our bedroom closet. The kids aren't allowed in our bedroom, and they are never in our closet.

I keep them in a storage room in the basement. It has a lock so no worries about snooping (for now).

In a car that the kids don't ride in, attic, garage, work, shed.

We have an locked access door to storage above our garage. Since it is off my daughter's bedroom though after I wrap the gifts I put them in large contractors trash bags and just put it in the garage.

attic or locked closet