Tips – Hiding Christmas Presents from Kids

Knowing where and how to hide Christmas presents can be difficult if you have smart kids. They’re sharp enough to pick up on little clues, and they have enough time during the holidays to snoop out any poorly hidden gifts. Figuring out how to hide big Christmas presents from these dedicated, clever kids gets harder every year.

Motivated by excitement, curiosity, or the challenge of discovering your hiding spots, they can be relentless in their search. Need help outsmarting them? Here are some tips to keep your holiday presents a secret.

Have a strategic plan when shopping this season

Successful present-hiding starts with a shopping trip. If you’re shopping for the most popular Christmas gifts this year and you’re not careful about how, where, and when you buy the gifts, your kids can easily discover what you’ve bought.

If you’re buying their gifts at a store or mall, postpone the shopping trip until your kids are somewhere else, like at school or a friend’s house. Then, you can both buy and hide the gifts without risking discovery.

If you’re shopping online, be sure to clear your Internet history afterward. You’ll want to make sure your kids can’t get into your email or retail accounts. Even if you don’t share a computer with your kids, they may still find opportunities to check your accounts while you’re away.

If your kids are particularly tech-savvy, it might be worth creating a separate email and retail account for holiday purchases—a good strategy to hide big Christmas presents from your spouse, too.

Keep the presents out of sight, even when wrapped

If you have younger kids, you may be tempted to keep the presents within your kids’ sight, but out of their reach. For example, you might consider stashing gifts on the highest shelf of a closet or above the kitchen cabinets.

Of course, when it comes time to hide big Christmas presents your job may become a little more difficult. Clever kids may still find a way to knock those presents down. They could use a broom, climb on a chair, or try dangerous acrobatic moves to reach the gifts. To prevent injuries, as well as maintain everyone’s sanity, it’s best to keep the gifts totally out of sight until Christmas.

Even if hiding the gifts takes more thought and hassle, it’ll help make the holidays a little safer and more relaxing.

Avoid obvious hiding spots to hide Christmas presents

To outwit clever children, you need to be original. Whether looking where parents hide big Christmas gifts or small ones, a quick Google search could tell any kid the best places to look for gifts. That is: in a closet, under a bed, or in a garden shed. The Internet could also reveal more creative places, like in a suitcase or duffle bag.

In other words, your best bet is to brainstorm an original hiding place on your own. You can use blogs (like this one) for inspiration but remember: whatever ideas you find online can also be found by your kids. Your best bet is to rely on your own ingenuity, combined with your knowledge of your kids.

Use disguises to hide small Christmas presents

Before tucking the presents away in a hiding spot, consider disguising them first. For instance, you could stuff the presents into empty boxes of laundry detergent or Tupperware containers. Small gifts could be wrapped in socks or put inside fake books. Hide big Christmas presents inside moving boxes or crates with a dull description, like “Tax Receipts 2023.”

If you don’t have enough disguises for all the presents, try mislabeling the wrapped gifts with the names of other family members, such as “for Dad” or “for Grandma.” Then, if your kids do manage to find the hiding spot, they may not be interested enough in the gifts to unwrap them.

Hide the gifts somewhere your kids can’t go, or don’t want to go

If your kids fear a certain area of the house, like the attic or cellar, use that spot to hide big Christmas presents. Even if your children gather up enough courage to explore that area, they’re less likely to search as thoroughly as in other rooms. The same principle applies to “gross” places, like your underwear drawer.

Of course, the most secure hiding spot is somewhere they can’t access, like at your work or in a locked trunk. A self-storage unit is also a fantastic place to keep their gifts. With fenced perimeters, video surveillance, and keypad gate access, there’s no way for your kids to find their gifts without your permission.

Write down where you hide your Christmas presents

If your hiding spots are especially genius, there’s a chance that even you will forget where the gifts are. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep track of where you’ve put each present. For instance, you can create a password-protected list on your computer that has a boring name, like “Budget 2023.”

This extra step can be a huge help later when you’re busy with holiday preparations. Instead of racking your brain to remember where exactly you put the gifts, you can simply consult your list to quickly recover them. Hiding Christmas presents from clever kids is possible—as long as you don’t outsmart yourself in the process.

Can’t find a place to hide big Christmas presents?

We all know, it can be challenging to find ample space to hide big Christmas presents from prying eyes during a season that already challenges homes already filled with decorations, extra groceries, house guest luggage, and more.

As it turns out, one of the most common ways to hide big Christmas presents until Christmas Eve is to rent a nearby self storage unit for the month of December.

When it comes time to place your big (and small) Christmas gifts in a storage unit, look for great security features. Electronic gate access, 24-hour video cameras, and an on-site manager will put your mind at ease.

Thankfully, Metro Self Storage offers month-to-month leases that come in handy this time of year while saving you money on long-term storage fees. Here at Metro Self Storage, we value our customers and their belongings.

We understand that anything you choose to store (any time of year) represents a monetary and emotional investment.

During snowy or damp winter months, choosing climate-controlled storage is an important amenity to consider. A helpful hint to keep in mind is to store your Christmas presents in an environment similar to the one in which they will be used.

In other words, if you are buying your spouse a lawn mower for Christmas, you won’t need a climate-controlled unit because it is kept in the garage. However, if you are buying a new computer, a climate-controlled unit or storage locker is the way to go.

Even if you plan to store fragile gifts or gifts that are wrapped already, a climate-controlled storage space will prevent moisture from building up and destroying the paper or leaving an unpleasant odor.

Laurie Hyman is the co-founder of Green Toys, which sells toys made of recycled and environmentally-friendly materials. Hyman says, “Maintaining the mystery and surprise is part of the fun and so many parents [go] to great lengths to keep that surprise.”

Hyman says, “(she) knows parents who will hide gifts under beds, inside dog houses, in their offices at work, and even in a friend’s home—all of this effort just to keep the element of surprise for Christmas.”

She also points out, “Parents get creative when it means keeping gifts away from their children.”

Hiding Christmas Presents is Easy with Metro Self Storage!