95 replies to this topic

[dmmiller]

Okay, Since this seems to be the place and time we're all talking about BF. I see that some of you are pretty much done, or at least got a pretty good dent in your holiday shopping. I would like to know.. Where are you hiding all your stuff? I went to Target last week and only got @5 toys for Xmas, and have NO where to stash it so they wont come across it between now and xmas morning. So where are YOU hiding your presents? AND did you wrap them yet?

[elena_398]

Absolutely no wrapping yet. lol, BUT I am over half way done with shopping for my two kids. Since our remodel, I now have a clean closests. So a lot of my items are in my top shelf of my closet and also in the garage in 4 Rubbermaid containers. (Yes 4).

[abentley]

I have a closet that I have put a keyed entry lock on. That holds a lot, but just in case of snooping, I hide the big gifts in the most obvious spot. I put my sons laptop in an avon decoration box in our pantry on top of my upright deep freezer. He saw it at least 3-4 times a week, yet never thought it could be anything, but what the box said. Luggage is a really good spot too. I also have an attic that I can use, and my dh office/ shop that is really safe. I can't imagine one of his emplyees risking his job for my kids gifts. The problem is keeping my list of what and where in a safe place!!!

[ChristmasShopping]

I use a locking hope chest at the end of my bed, the attic and luggage. We have a closet that is full of luggage and I put presents in them and then lock them. We have a chair that sits in front of the door because we don't really use the closet except for storage. No one ever goes in there and I know they don't have a clue there are presents in there.. not even DH!

[nikkilugi]

My kids are still too little to snoop. I have a closet up in an extra bedroom and that I am using. It is full of a bunch of junk so I just add my bags of presents in there behind the junk that the kids couldn't move if they wanted to, LOL. If I hid presents in all the places everyone else is mentioning I would forget where I hid it. I have actually done that before

[littlesdcen]

We have and enclosed trailer. So i lock it up in there all year long.

[christib327]

I have stacks of totes in the basement. I label them with the names of the people I buy for and then fill them up throughout the year. My kids are too little to go down to the basement right now.

[DaytonaGirl]

I have a terrible habit of buying things throughout the year and hiding them from the kids and then forgetting to ever get them out! I've found quite a few cute items months after Christmas or a BD. So this weekend, after my awesome time at CVS and KMart, I hid them in a rubbermaid marked SOCKS. This way I remember - "SOCKS" = "STOCKING" stuffers! We'll see if it works this year!

[biomajor]

I don't have to hide anything, but the stuff I buy is in an upstairs storage closet with my Christmas ornaments and stuff. I'm not buying for my kids yet (15 and 17) because what they want (money for one and a letterman jacket for the other) I really can't pre buy LOL

[droolbug2]

most of my stuff is in my closet in my room. I have a few things in the storage closet outside. I haven't started wrapping yet. I never do until a few days before Christmas. And, thankfully I am almost finished shopping. I need to buy each kid their BIG item and I need to buy more for ds19 months.

[txmomma]

I don't have to hid things yet, my daughter in almost 3 so she doesn't really know to look for them! But what I have bought is on a shelf in the closet in the bedroom upstairs.

[teebee]

I usually put stuff in my closet or the attic. My son (16) knows where it is and I tell him if he wants to ruin his Christmas, then go ahead and look. He never does (that I know of anyway). My daughter (6) knows better than to go in my room and she is always with me and doesn't have time to snoop.

[jbdinos]

I got so lucky with our new house. The old one I had to put everything into my closet and it would spill out into the bedroom by October and the 4 youngest kids are the perfect age to snoop... 7, 10,11, 13..... well my new house has a huge walk in closet (12' x 10')... so I can store all of our clothes, etc in there. It's an older house so it has an old closet in the bedroom that is very small. We just have coats and luggage in it, but up above it from the top of the door to the ceiling is a large empty space with a door on it. PERFECT.... even DH has to get a stepstool to get anything into or out of it. And the stepstool that stays in the house is not tall enough for them to see inside the closet as if I use it I can't see and they are all shorter than me !!! Yeah for those short genes... lol... Anyway, that thing is stuffed full and along the front edge where I can barely reach it is a notebook with THE list on it. They don't know the list exists but they do know I shop. Sad for them that even if they see something they have so many young aunts, uncles, cousins that they don't know who the stuff is for. The only thing is I filled up the cavern and have had to resort to boxes in the bottom... but I just put gifts for others on the bottom. Only DS7 still believes in Santa so that is a relief...... And the only thing that is kind of sitting out in the open is for DS11... he wants to join the middle school golf team so DH found a deal on a new set of clubs for him. 160 dollar set on sale for 25... so it is just sitting in the middle of my big closet. DS has seen it. BUT he knows that if DH gets a good deal on sporting equipment he will buy it to try to trade for other stuff from a softball board he frequents so he has absolutely no idea they are his... I will make them disappear around the beginning of Nov (not sure where) and then he will not have a clue once I find a box and wrap them in December. Long story for a short answer.... other ideas I have heard are the garage because kids assume that moms won't hide things out there and they really don't want to have to clean it anyway. I also know people that swap storage... like take your things to a relatives closet and bring their things to your closet.... Now I do LOVE the luggage idea.... cause I can never hide anything from DH.. he's onto me... that might just work this year!!!!

[jellybean051901]

In the basement. There is so much junk down there no one will notice another bag or two

[mghtymth27]

Locked up in the storage shed

[CG480]

my bedroom closet

[berry1014]

Some of the stuff is in a tote in my closet. We also have a large laundry room and a workshop room with plenty of storage space. We stash the smaller gifts in totes in the laundry room and the bigger stuff in the workshop which are off limits to the kids.

[aerosmithgirl]

Good one jellybean! My post exactly!! It's the truth though!!

[shopping mom]

Long story for a short answer.... other ideas I have heard are the garage because kids assume that moms won't hide things out there and they really don't want to have to clean it anyway. I also know people that swap storage... like take your things to a relatives closet and bring their things to your closet.... When I was 16 my parentshid my gifts in the garage. the was one particular large gift that I knew would be hard to find. I searched the house over nothing Christmas morning I went downstairs early and it still was not there (I was an only child at that time and spoiled) I then went to wake my parents and Dad went downstairs to make coffee when we came down to open gifts there sat my present it had been in the garage the whole time!! I probably passed it three times a day.

[masylimed]

I work about a mile from my home. We have an empty office with a closet. I stash all of my gifts there. I wrap them on my lunch time/after work. Then while my DH is in charge of getting Christmas Eve baths, I go get milk and stuff for Christmas breakfast at the local store. Then I swing by work and load up the back of the van. The gifts are never on our property until late Christmas Eve.

[dmmiller]

I work about a mile from my home. We have an empty office with a closet. I stash all of my gifts there. I wrap them on my lunch time/after work. Then while my DH is in charge of getting Christmas Eve baths, I go get milk and stuff for Christmas breakfast at the local store. Then I swing by work and load up the back of the van. The gifts are never on our property until late Christmas Eve.

You've got to be one of the lucky ones.
That would be wonderful to have access to that space.

I'll probably do what others have said, Put in garage/basement/laundry room in
storage totes. Just gotta go get some more.

[krissy904]

I have so much stuff that I have no idea how many boxes I even have because as fast as I can fill them up, my husband snatches them up to put away in our storage shed. Occasionally I'll see something in Target (usually Target) and it will remind me that I already have one in one of my boxes. This happens every year. When he brings all of the boxes out, I invite my daughters over to go "shopping" for gifts for co-workers and stuff. The selection is usually rather large. When we're done shopping, I usually box up the remaining items in a few boxes and pick someone from this forum to send a surprise box to. I would never mention any names, but I will say that one recipient last year said she cried when she found a special surprise that I added to her box. It's really a lot of fun. I'm sure I'm not the only one on here does that does this. Maybe others could share their stries if allowed. Sorry, I am not trying to thread-jack, I just don't know how to start a new one and this does have to do with the hiding of current ones.

[dmmiller]

Oh Yeah, I about forgot about that secret santa game you guys played last year. I was too new last year, and didnt get to take part, but am definately going to do it this year! Cant wait.

[jadedmomof2]

In the attic which is locked, and the key stays on my main set of car keys.

[wyntyrose]

sewing room closet and by dec 24 the entire sewing room. I have a lock on the door so no peeping eyes

[jarerice]

Everything goes in my attic. DS is scared to even try to get in there.

[stationchief]

In my younger years my parents learned the hard way to NEVER hid the presents at the home. I was such the snoop and knew how to get to every crack and corner that I'd find just about everything. I was such a naughty 'lil boy. After a few spoiled christmasses they got smart and started wrapping and hiding everything at the neighbors until christmas eve. Nowdays, with just the wife to hide stuff from, I just keep it in the trunk of the car until I decide to wrap 'em up and place 'em under the 'lil tree.

[Gumball]

I'll figure that out after I get done shopping. Since I'm not sure what I'll be buying, I don't know how much room I'll need to hide stuff.

[MandaJo111]

I have a locked storage room in the front and another one at the back of the house. I have already started filing them up! I am glad DS is in Pre-K now so I can buy presents without him knowing and hide them before he ever gets home.

[sm1kla]

Last year I thought I was being clever & left them in the trunk of my car. DS7 put the split seat down & found everything. I told them they were for toys for tots and we took everything to school. I started over again and took everything to grandmas. Guess that's where things will be going this year too. Luckily my kids haven't hit the seach for stage yet.