wher do you guys hide stuff until Xmas and how do you keep track of all of it??

[digman6]

I must tell you I struggle every year with this, maybe I buy to much-NAH:D . I have 4 kids ages-10,7,4, and will be 1 Dec,12th. I lose track of what I have , I am worried about putting it on paper fear my nosey rosie kids will find it. they almost busted us on the tooth fairy as it is !! they all believe in santa still. I was hiding in the garage but running out there is a hassel when its 40 below out trying to haul it in to wrap. Wrapping is a story alone! how do you guys put tags on so they don't know its YOUR writting???

I had over flow from last year left in dh car found it this year summer-he is never in his trunk!

I do all the shopping and wrapping dh does nothelp with it which is fine but I need some tips on making this more organized now that Walmart is no longer a hiding place for me!

we have our basementbut its hard to hide with them going down there so much and our closet only holds so much.

thanks much
steph

[starshine]

I have a spare bedroom that I lock and I stash things in there in bins. I go through the stuff every few months and count what I have for each kid. I try to keep it even for them all. Of course now the two teenagers get cash so I don't really have to do that now but I still count all the stuff I have for my son to make sure I'm not going over board.

[sapphire]

i'm a bit anal in the organization department....my kids are tiny still so the attic is the third floor finished type, i wont step foot in my basement...anyways everything goes up there in section...my kids in one area, neice's nephew and the parents go in another, friends kids in another and our folks in another...

i have a spreadsheet that i take my receipts to after each shopping trip and add what i just bought and how much...i also color code it, red is bought, black is what i am looking for....this list comes with me everywhere...spending limits for everyone, i allow a $5 overage but if i'm under $5 i won't make up for it, i might add a big candy bar...

my kids are the only ones i will go over for

[copados1993]

I have always used the back of our closets and put them where you can't find them without REALLY searching for them. The last couple of years I have kept a list so that when it came time for Christmas to finally arrive, I'd have everything that I hid. To this day , my dear mother loses at least 1 gift because she can't remember where she had hid it. It has become a real joke LOL.:yup:

[abentley]

I have convinced my older kids (18 & 16) that there is a room in the Grandmothers basement that they have never found. They actually spend time in her basement(it is finished) and it has a really weird layout. You could get lost in there. Then I hide it basicly in plain sight. They are convinced that nothing is here, so they don't look. My 2 little ones caught me last week though before I could hide something. I might need a new plan.

[momof5plus1hubby]

I have under the bed storage containers filled with gifts. I also have containers filled with presents, and then put a jacket on top. So when the kids open the tote all they see is the jacket:smirk:

I have a grand list on my laptop on what all I have and where it is in the house. No kids go on the laptop so they won't see it. :tongue1: The laptop is passworded LOL

[digman6]

those are some good ideas on keeping track of it all !! I am usually very organized but whe there is SO MUCH to hide it makes it much harder for me. these kids go everyplace in this house just when you think you have the perfect spot it back fires and I ned upwith Oh that,thats for a cousin-ya right!

[redjacket97]

It was easier last year when I lived at home with Mom and Dad. I hid everything in the attic.

This year will be a little problematic since I have moved out. Hmmm...under the bed, in the closet, trunk of the car...I may have to ask Mom for a favor: her attic for storage space.

[mrn8]

If it's something large, I'll ask my parents to keep it at their place, since they live in the town I work in. Otherwise, I'll keep it in my office. I usually pay for gift wrap, so I don't often have to hide things.

[Stowasser]

My parents winter in FL so I just stash it in one of the bedrooms, it is so nice because I spread it out and I can take an accounting, in fact, I am in the process of taking everything over there now. I keep it in our closet and under the bed....The kids still haven't figured it out, they are 10 and 11 and know their isn't Santa or is there? Since they have never foudn the toys and they have gotten some extremely large ones (including a double basketball stand up game last year) they just don't know what to think! They have searched the house, garage, sheds to no avail, even made Dad open up the crawl space-I just snicker....

[glitterstarr]

Then I hide it basicly in plain sight.


This is what I do I hide my daughters stuff right under her nose every year and she never finds it!:D

Oh for the one who asked about the names on packages and handwriting. I never put name tags on them. What I did was get each child specific wrapping paper and wrote down which one of my kids had which wrapping paper. That way they never knew who's gift was who's under the tree.

Just in case I ever needed a gift tag I always just had a friend to do it for me and then put the name tags up until I needed them. I still have gift tags with their names on them that I haven't used over the years. LOL

[sns128]

I use the crawl space in my attic, the door is really heavy so the kids can't get into it yet. The really big stuff I hid at my mom's (she lives one house down from us) in her basement, again the kids never go down there. When they get older I will need to find new places. As for my list, I keep it on my laptop, no one ever uses it but me and DH.

[JazzMama]

We keep ours in our master bedroom closet (kinda hidden by luggage). Our daughter knows she is not allowed in our bedroom by herself, so she's never tried to snoop (she's 5 so that may change in the next few years :yup: )

[ms_mckenna]

We hide in our closet as well. They don't go in there out of fear. The standing rule is if you find it it goes back ... and if that was your big present to bad. I have no list I just keep track by pulling things out once a week or so.

[Tracy72]

I just put everything out when it is wrapped....I dont like my tree up with out any gifts under it....but as for putting them in a place before wrapping....right in the closet under the kids nose.....they never seem to snoop for their gifts right now...lol...but they do look under the tree for their names...lol...I do like another one does...I have specific wrapping for different people...easier to just grab and go when we go to the inlaws...lol

[able]

why not bring it to someone elses house and wrap it there?

[Melissa]

I hide everything in the basement. I keep a list for each kid of what's been bought and how much I paid for it. I use special tags for their Santa gifts and write them in very fancy handwriting.

[Edgemonster]

I always make a list of what I have and what I need to get, along with what needs batteries and how many.That stays in my purse because noone ventures in there but me. Before my son was in school I'd wrap at night then during the day when he was in school. I hid everything in the basement or my mothers room. My son has never been a snoop, he doesn't want to spoil the surprise for himself. As far as the writing on the tags, I used an elf handwriting which is a writing style completely opposite of my usual. My normal writing always slants to the right so for the elf writing I slant way to the left and shape my letters different. He never figured it out.

[Firemansgal311]

I will stash what will fit in our closet or I will have dh take it to our storage bldg. Last year we had the kids bikes and trikes at dh's fathers house in a spare bedroom.

As far as wrapping if it is from us I will wrap in whatever and hand write the tags. But HoHo stuff gets wrapped in Santa paper and a different kind for each kid with no labels. I will remember who's is who's then saparate them into "piles" on Christmas eve.

I try to make a list of gifts, usually for the kids I will put thier names and a tick mark for each present, but everyone else I will put thier name and what we got them. :)
ETA my list also stays in my purse.;)

[jennypoo3016]

all the presents go on the side of the basement no one goes into the unfinished part and i always have alist written out.....

[Illinoismom]

I have two lists, one I leave out in the open and then the real list, I place things where ever and we do not have spoops, 4 kids 4 different paper, and only I know who is who, Well kind of back fired when my 18 year old got her 9 year sisters books, oooppps did Santa make a boo boo, then I gave the 6 year the 15 year olds foot ball, Well we will see what I mess up this year

[Gray04]

LOL, in the kitchen, in plain sight!! the doors WWAAYY up high and above the fridge:smart: Used to in the bedroom closet, have in the shed, grandparents, neighbors, under beds...

One year I took labels to work and had a male write them out, one year DH took them to his work and had someone write them out :D

Both want $$ this year, easy to hide but hard to find:yup:

[Stowasser]

I use computer designed labels for tags and print in a really neat font, never use those labels for anything else so they don't know its from me or the computer, but I will print out a couple of sheets for each kid and its so nice to have them all ready after wrapping and plop that on there. Hallmark makes some really nice ones and you can buy them anywhere, Walmart, Target etc.

[holly2hottie]

I hide gifts in boxes high up in the closet or in the garage storage. To keep track of everything, I have a christmas book that I keep in my purse, with me at all times. I write down ideas for gifts and then I highlight the item once it is purchased. I also write down what I paid for everything so I can keep track of what I've spent.

[Gporter34]

I do all of my Christmas shopping on BF so that I can get it all over with in the same day. I wrap everything as soon as I get home and put it under the tree.

[digman6]

these are ALL great ideas- thanks much!:D

[tokanm]

Does anyone else buy gifts and hide them, only to either not be
able to remember where you put them or even worse find them
after Christmas? Almost every year I find a gift I "forgot" and it is
getting to be a joke now, "OK who is going to get the gift Mom lost
this year?"

I hide most of my gifts in the trunk of my car or at work. I just
wrap them on my lunch break or stay later to wrap. Last year I had
had a heart attack on Nov 11th and right before Christmas my presents
I was hiding at work appeared here (plus several new ones) and they
were wrapped and stockings were filled and even included a generous
gift card from my co-workers for a local grocery store. I am a single Mom
and they knew I had no income during this time and things were bad here.
The old saying is true "You know who your true friends are in times of
need" I was lucky to have such great coworkers and boss:gdclap:

[codeblue]

I hide the gifts in our basement. Usually up on a top shelf but mine are only 3 and 5 so still small and don't really go looking yet. One year when I was younger my mother would wrap our gifts as she purchased them and put them under the tree accept she put my brothers name on my packages and mine on his to throw us off. I keep a list in my purse along with all receipts for xmas purchases.

[elena_398]

The Video Games/ CDs are stored in my room and the rest of the presents are stored in the garage. My husband had our garage totally redone and it has cabinets and shelving all around. So everything is stored out there. As I buy an item, I make a list so I can keep track. This list is kept in my purse so the kids don't find it!

[krissy904]

same problem here but I must deal with it all year long, since I buy almost anythiing and everything when it finally gets to 90% off. I think I have 6 giant plastic boxes filled with (hard to admit) totaly useless junk. I do make quite a few donation gifts to schools, church, blah, blah, blah. I just have so much stuff that I can't possibly remember all of it and there is no way to even take it all out to inventory it. I just have to try to get rid of the items box by box.

[BEE4]

I don't have kids but I buy tons of presents for my nephiews and kids from 3 families I babysit for. I have a list of things I want to buy and keep all of them in the basement. Since there is a lot of space and the presents don't cluttrer my bedrooms. I really don't have to worry about hiding them.

[Turtle Mommy]

I have a huge storage closet I hid it all in. I just bought a new lock for the door this past weekend. I always loose the key by the next Christmas because I only lock the door when there are gifts in there.

I have to clean it out and get ready for presents. I think I am going to set a table up in there to make it easier to wrap this year.

[peanut92973]

i put mine in the shed. after i get home from bf day i wrap everything stick it in garage bags and put it in the shed. also on bf day i have a paper in my purse and everytime i buy something i write it down.

[blakes_mommy]

I hide them in the attic and make a list of what I have bought for each kid.

[lilac100]

I have a small room under my basement staircase. We have a padlock on it because my husband keeps his saws and sharp tools in there. We put the gifts in there. I keep track of everything on a pad of paper that I keep locked in the glovebox of my car. That way I can pull it out as I shop and write everything down and the kids never think to look in the glove box. ;)

[fulfam]

I usually put stuff on layaway so that I don't have to hide it for too long since I don't have any extra storage space. I usually pick up my layaway the week before xmas so I take it to my mom's house and wrap and leave it there until xmas eve.

[shopping mom]

My FIL has his own business and plenty of storage space so we hide it there. I need to go look and see what I have because I used quite a bit for birthdays this year. I am hoping to have more that I remember. I'll make the list and continue on from there.

[happysunshine28]

One year I tried to fool my kids and brought a whole bunch of tags to work and had different people write their names on them, they didnt even notice. I have mine in my closet big stuff goes to SO's moms house.

[mynpyn]

I have a box in the top of my closet with stuff in it, but it is starting to get full. I'm thinking I'll move stuff to the attic next. Of course last year I hid some DVD's from my husband and found them in March...:D Guess I'll have to figure out how to keep better track of those.
Our gifts from Santa are not wrapped so I don't have to worry about the writing on the tag.

[rogue1230]

I LOVE the spreadsheet idea. I just took an excel course so I am dying to see what I can do with all that packed in knowledge!!!! Right now I pick up a little 3x3 or 4x4 prial notebook, use stickers to make tabs and give everyone I have to buy for a section. I tape the recipts to the back of each persons pages and that keeps me pretty well kept.( not as well as the spreadsheet though, WOW I think I may have to convert.)

As or hiding them I don't have little ones running around the house. I just try to wrap as I go and usually hide a "surprise" gift under the pile under the tree.

[digman6]

the spread sheet thing seems to be working for me!:D I made colored columns and each kid has so many spots to fill once they filled I was set. they had until yesterday to make any adjustments. I went shopping put it on layaway a good chunk of it.
I cross off what I have at home or on layaway in orange and label "S" next to the things they want from Santa in red. I have now a envelope for reciepts and my list and I am set. Thanks for the great ideas everyone!

[kboyts]

My DD is almost 2 so hiding stuff isnt much of a problem yet but I do have to hide from the wife. I have a very large rolling suitcase with a luggage lock on it that I change the combo to every year. I stash most of her stuff in there. Anything that I order online or ebay I have sent to my work where I stash it until close to christmas.

[dorkydiva]

I keep things in the basement or in the guest bedroom.

[laffnatu]

i have a spreadsheet that i take my receipts to after each shopping trip and add what i just bought and how much...i also color code it, red is bought, black is what i am looking for....this list comes with me everywhere...spending limits for everyone, i allow a $5 overage but if i'm under $5 i won't make up for it, i might add a big candy bar...

my kids are the only ones i will go over for

WOW! You are organized. I try to hang on to my receipts but most of the time I lose them. I usually end up placing them in my top dresser drawer.

I cleaned off the side of the fridge and found last year's layaway receipts from Walmart on the side. :lmao:

[Deal Grabber]

As funny as it sounds i have a storage locker room i rent for December.All my christmas stuff is put there.Wrapping bows etc.I dont want my kids to see any of it.They both 7 & 10 believe.After i shop its stored there and a few days before christmas i pack a lunch and spend the day their wrapping organizing and putting it into boxes so i can bring home.Chritmas eve i go get it and leave it outside the house till they sleep.This way the was no evidence of gifts in the house.It still works.:yawn:

[laffnatu]

Big stuff usually goes to my mom's. Other items go in the front hall closets and the attic. The kids never go in the closet and my son hates the attic. lol.

[Deal Grabber]

Oh yeah i find every year present tags that are signed from santa and my wrapping paper is coded.I know which type of paper is for which child.Usually only use 4 different designs.2 for each child.It really works well.

[Christy Garner]

I keep the small stuff in hidden in my closet and bigger stuff in the trunk of my car. This problem with the trunk of the car however is remembering that it is in there. Last year, I told me oldest to get something out of the trunk and he opened it and said, what is in all these bag? so, i immediately yelled, nothing and slammed the trunk. I need to find a better hiding place.

[chefbart]

hid them at grandmas then spend hrs x mas eve getting them home

[pogiporkchop]

That's a good question for me... I have no idea where I'm going to put all my shopping, especially the bigger things for the kids (our place is very small with almost no storage space). Better start cleaning those two closets...

[jewleyp]

I keep the small stuff in hidden in my closet and bigger stuff in the trunk of my car. This problem with the trunk of the car however is remembering that it is in there. Last year, I told me oldest to get something out of the trunk and he opened it and said, what is in all these bag? so, i immediately yelled, nothing and slammed the trunk. I need to find a better hiding place.

LMAO - I remember my mom having the same "issue" when we were young!! I store all my christmas decorating stuff in those rubbermaid boxes, so i kind of shift them around and mark the boxes with presents with a little X. The big stuff goes to a friends house, who's husband has mercy on me and will put it together before they bring it over Christmas Eve after the kids are asleep!!:eyepoppin

[jewleyp]

Oh yeah i find every year present tags that are signed from santa and my wrapping paper is coded.I know which type of paper is for which child.Usually only use 4 different designs.2 for each child.It really works well.

Where do you find those tags?? "Santa" usually writes with the left hand!!!;)

[able]

once i had a gift for someone and at the time my basement wasnt finished..i hid it in the rafters cause the person was coming.. well i forgot about it ...and had my basement finished...

[biomajor]

I just put them in my drawers and the kids don't look anymore (17, 14) 2 years ago, I got them laptops and had them charging in the open, on my dresser and neither of them found them LOL

[Jamy36823]

I assign each kid with a number. I have three daughters so I usually go backwards so dd1 is #3. Then I use a small notebook and just number the pages #1 is youngest DD and so on. I do not write down what Ive bought exactly, I use code. So if I bought a Bratz Doll, I would write Btz and the price. So if they do find the notebook, they wont understand it anyway! Then to hide the packages, I just wrap them. I dont put tags on them until christmas eve so if they do find them, they wont know whos is whos but I do because Ive numbered them in a spot on the package theat they wouldnt notice! Usually where Ive taped the package :D

[caramel]

The hubby and I have separate closets so all my gifts go in my closet.

[mcnavy]

A few years ago I used an old non-working dryer that we had in our basement. (just hadn't gotten rid of it) and they really held alot of toys. My kids had no clue.......they don't even want to touch the laundry room door now and they are 10 and 13. But alas we have moved and will have to get real creative this year.......

[zoemariesmamma]

I am used to hiding purchases..shhhhh. Daughter doesn't think to snoop yet but hubby thinks I go overboard. I love to find clearance stuff all year long for the angel tree and shoeboxes all year long. I have a drawer full of school stuff in one of my craft drawers!

[zoemariesmamma]

Last year we redid daughters bedroom, we stashed dresser, castle shaped bed, 2 toyboxes, bedding and lots of other misc. in my husbands very small studio...he couldn't paint all week. We locked her out and let her sleep in our room in her tent Christmas Eve..worked like crazy to get it done and get a little bit of sleep before morning. It was kind of a rush and probably my favorite Christmas since I was a child!!

[tootsieroll23]

In suitcases under our bed. :D

[rogue1230]

I have actually lined some of our clear rubbermaid storage bns with junk and stuck the "goods" in the middle. DH could sleep thru a war so I get up a bit early and sneak those out too. lol - I like the sutcase idea too though!

[lisamag]

2 yrs a go i used an old dresser for the small stuff and my daughter then 3 came out carrying one asking if she could open it, they got moved that night but she found them again a few days later lol. last yr they were in bags tied up in my closet kids found them again playing hide go seek game there went that so this yr i'm putting them in my basement keeping it under lock and key.
as for keeping track i have a list, plus i keep one on my comp and just put the file hidden and they won't see it but you know it's there or you could keep one on line like an email waiting to be sent with out the password they won't find it.

[kathybmb]

my kids are teens so there really is no hiding i try to wrap right away and keep them in my room which is right above the living room. it has a squeeky floor so there is no sneaking in there...lol i wrap then put in trash bags super tied shut so there is no way but to rip them to open them. they usually leave them alone. i made the mistake of letting my son talk me into putting a few under the tree for looks..(he couldnt stand seeing the gifts for relatives and none with his name on it..soon as i did that it was non stop naggin for the rest of the season..cant we open just one we dont care if there is one less on christmas..big mistake that was. i keep a journal for years now. i write everything i buy for each person like a list. it is fun and nostalgic to go back to the early 90's(when i started it) and see things listed that are no longer in style etc.

[PeachieKeen]

Since I don't have kids it's not a problem with hiding gifts at my house. However, I have been known to lose track of what I've bought. Last year I started a spreadsheet for my christmas shopping...it never gets printed out so nosy eyes ever see it...but I track how much I have to spend, what I have spent, and what gifts were purchased for who....and it's password protected so nosy eyes don't get to see it

[cc1824]

I bought a lock for the closet and we lock stuff in there, otherwise i just wrap it and put it under the tree, but my kids are older, still nosy but older. Then after we open the closet w/ bedroom doors shut to evaluate what we have (bad about remembering), then we wrap, usually send the kids to the movies or on dates. It works for us. But not really that much fun since my son only wants 1 thing this year kind of blows the fun part, but it is an expensive item.

Had to throw him offf track last year, wrapped empty boxes and some w/ rocks in them since we bought him a used truck, he's 17, he had no clue, it was great surprise.

CC

[lisamag]

i like the idea about keeping a journal. wish i had thought of that when my son was smaller. he'll be 13 in dec. but i'll start one now anyway it'll be nice for him and his sister (she's 5) to look back on when thier grown.

[MissC63]

We have a huge finished basement and I have my own walk in "stash" closet which is always locked. It is so big I even have a table in there where I can wrap the presents.
Before we lived here I would hide them all over and I always missed some and would find them months later :)

[sbwolfer]

I must tell you I struggle every year with this, maybe I buy to much-NAH:D . I have 4 kids ages-10,7,4, and will be 1 Dec,12th. I lose track of what I have , I am worried about putting it on paper fear my nosey rosie kids will find it. they almost busted us on the tooth fairy as it is !! they all believe in santa still. I was hiding in the garage but running out there is a hassel when its 40 below out trying to haul it in to wrap. Wrapping is a story alone! how do you guys put tags on so they don't know its YOUR writting???

I had over flow from last year left in dh car found it this year summer-he is never in his trunk!

I do all the shopping and wrapping dh does nothelp with it which is fine but I need some tips on making this more organized now that Walmart is no longer a hiding place for me!

we have our basementbut its hard to hide with them going down there so much and our closet only holds so much.

thanks much
steph

I keep a small notebook in my purse with a page for each person I buy for. I write down what I buy to keep track. If you are afraid your kids will see it, then do it on the computer or something. Just label the file Taxes or something boring they would never look at! As far as hiding gifts make use of the basement. Buy those Rubbermaid containers and hide the toys in there. Label them...outgrown clothes or somethine equally boring. And for the tag writing I try to write with the opposite hand or have hubby write them. DD recognizes my handwriting but not DH's so that works. Wrap as you go and store the presents wrapped with tags. That way on Christmas Eve all you have to do is slap on bows or ribbons.

[sevirj]

We hide stuff in the storage spaces in the room over our garage. our daughter doesn't look in them because of all the other junk in there.

A couple months ago I went looking for something in one of the areas and found some socks & stuff still in the bag that we bought last year to give her for Christmas. The bag must have fallen behind something and we forgot about it. :confused:

When she got home from school that day, she had a little surprise waiting for her.

[brownlands]

One year I really got lucky in this area. My husband is a supervisor for an apartment complex and we got to use a vacant apartment that just happened to be next to ours to stash all the goods! It worked out so well and the kids had no clue. They are always snooping.

[EmConMom]

Like others have mentioned. I keep a spreadsheet. After each shopping trip, I add it under the appropriate child's column. I have formula's that figure out what the total for each kid is, etc.

I also color code, bold is on layaway, yellow highlighted is things that i'm looking for. blue highlighted i have in the house and red highlighted is going to be a stocking stuffer. :cheesy: crazy i know.
I hide in our laundry room in plastic bins, and at my parents house.:)

I love buying presents.:D

[wifeymiller]

My daughter is a baby, so I haven't had to hide from her yet. But, we keep everything in the closet in our bedroom or down stairs. I,too, am notorious for losing something or forgetting about something. That's what happens when you start shopping in July :( I keep a list in my purse of what I've bought for who though.

[JustJules]

When the kid was little I would wrap everything, then hide them in the suitcases in our closet. I also, even to this day send items to my folks house, (as we always have christmas eve there), then take paper and other goodies out there to wrap and go right under the tree. Always put on the tag his name and love santa.
His birthday is in Feb, so the things that I forgot I had gotten @ the last minute or found after Christmas, he will get and something big too.
One year I got him a big heavy Michigan Wolverines sweatshirt, MW clock, long underwear(hunting)golf shirts and golf shoes. Found them about 2 weeks after Christmas. Called him and said Santa did it again, he forgot where he put somethings.

[bearcatfan]

I have a bonus storage room off the basement playroom that has our sump pump, furnace, etc. I keep stuff there in plain boxes but it's not locked. I've told my oldest (7) that there are huge spiders in there so she steers wayyyy clear. Yes, I'm mean :D

[sleepigrl]

I stash family gifts in our closet or in a locked spare bedroom - works ok, but I have to keep an eye on the kids at all times.

I've changed how I'll keep track of things this year. I started a Google spreadsheet with our lists, so both DH and I can make changes or updates and see just what we want to buy or have already purcahsed. And, I might share it with the rest of the family so they can use it for ideas if they want to.

[boudmel]

Mine all goes in the attic and I keep all the Xmas receipts in my purse in an envelope - I go through the receipts and make a list of what is for who to keep track of it all. I also get all the presents down and wrap them before Xmas break so they are ready to put under the tree on Xmas eve:)

[cleverbffool]

Attic, a just thrown up there kids don't even know we have an attic.

[smurf94409]

I don't really have any good hiding spots in my house. I put everything in cardboard boxes in my garage and mark it something like Kitchen stuff and the kids never know. After it's wrapped I put them back. Seems to work out rather well. I have a 10 & 8 year old and they have never found stuff.

[robertakeene]

I have a storage room with a lock on it. I try to wrap as soon as I buy it, or while the kids are at school. One year I paid someone to take them to the movies so I could wrap. Sometimes we wrap while they are asleep. Rather than putting names on the presents (just in case one of the nosey buggars get my keys) I use a different color sticky dot for each child. This way if they do find it, they dont know who it is for. As far as disguising your handwriting, print Christmas labels on the computer.
Before we had the storage room I stored at a relatives house...very inconvienient on Christmas Eve though.

[cotinkandy1]

Oh my goodness....I hide everywhere. IN the attic, at my moms, my inlaws. My children are 20, 18,14,11,4 and 8months. So it is very difficult. The 2 little ones are to young to snoop so thats the stuff that is hidden in the house. But those older ones are a pain in the butt....They are always snooping around. about 5-6 years ago everything went to the inlaws and I wrapped over there then they delivered it the night before x-mas and the kids still to this day do not know where we hid everything...LOL

[sammy50]

We always kept all of our suitcases on shelves in our basement and I would stick gifts in them.
The kids never thought to look in there--probably because they were always buried under other junk.

[Sunshyne]

This year, I'm using the garage. We just moved in, and there are still plenty of boxes out there, so my oldest son won't notice. I put an old blanket over the big boxes. I put smaller stuff or things I don't want to get too cold (Movies, mostly) on top of the kitchen cabinets. You can't tell there is anything up there. My friend wants to hide her kids' stuff here too.

But, last night I went out and bought ds something big and left it in my car. My husband wanted to go buy a wheelbarrow this morning and take ds with him. He had to take my vehicle for this because it's bigger than his car. I was trying to tell him not to take ds outside without telling him why in front of ds. lol It was frustrating until he finally figured out what I was trying to tell him.

I keep a spreadsheet, and this year I am posting pictures on my blog because I still found stuff in January that I had left off the spreadsheet and forgot all about.

[alimfp]

We put all presents in our closet. Now, our closet has no doors (it's kind of built into the wall, it's neat!). So I cover the boxes/bags with a blanket. BUT at this age, the kids don't go in our room at all without us. (They don't even go upstairs without us) ;)

And I keep a list of their presents. ;)

[Deal Grabber]

I have a rented 5 x 10 storage room.I keep a list and then store it there.Makes a great wrapping room also.Mine are 7 & 10 and i want the spirit kept alive.If my DS who's 10 sees ANYTHING including paper he might figure it out.

[mandifour]

Mostly in the garage. I did hide them at my BIL's but my kids have been spending a lot of time over there. So my house is safer.

[clevelandrocksandrolls]

We didn't use name tags. When my kids were little, I used specific wrapping paper for each kid. I used two patterns for each kid. We never put gifts under the tree until all the kids were asleep on Christmas eve. My kids are 28, 27, 22 and 21 and we still don't put gifts from Santa under the tree until the middle of the night. We use name tags now because with all the spouses, girlfriend, boyfriend, grandkids--my poor husband would never remember what pattern belonged to who without a cheat sheet. One year before we started using tags, my daughter actually ended up with my daugher-in-law's gift. (and she really loved the gift) I think that was the year we decided we better use tags the next year. LOL.