As the radio stations start broadcasting the usual Christmas songs, and the shops dazzle you with tinsel, sparkly lights and tempting boxes of chocolates, you’ve probably already bent to the pressure to start shopping for presents! You’ll know from previous years that sooner or later it becomes very difficult to hide those presents from their intended recipients and you have to be creative about where to store them.

We’re assuming in this blog that you want ideas of where to hide presents from children, as opposed to adults, but if you have a particularly excitable spouse then the same ideas could still work! 
 

1. Is there anywhere off-limits in your house?

You might have certain areas that are out-of-bounds to your children. The cupboard under the sink may contain chemicals and detergents that you’ve always taught them not to go near. You might value a modicum of privacy and insist that your wardrobe or beneath your bed is not somewhere you want them rooting around. If there is any such sacred ground in your house, now is the time to exploit it! Empty it as much as possible (you can always use a small self storage unit for a few weeks over the Christmas period to keep excess belongings safe until your house returns to normal) and then fill it up with presents. 
 

2. Is there anywhere they wouldn’t want to look?

Do they have only a passing familiarity with your laundry basket or ironing pile? Are they only vaguely aware that there is such a thing as a cupboard that contains your ironing board, mop bucket and cleaning supplies? Are they a bit scared of the understairs cupboard, the cellar or attic? There. There is where you should hide their presents - items currently inhabiting those places can be stored elsewhere. 

3. Be super, super organised

You could wrap the presents as soon as you get them home. That way, if their hiding place is discovered then at least their contents will be suitably difficult to identify. The downside to this is if your children think Santa brings them all of their presence, you may have some explaining to do (you could always say Santa is super, super organised and dropped them off early - but then, where would be the deterrent against bad behaviour until 25th December?). 
 

4. Outside storage

Some people keep Christmas presents in their car boot until the big day, or in the shed. However, both of these carry the very real risk that they may be stolen or damaged. You can be pretty sure that your household insurance wouldn’t cover that kind of loss… If there really is nowhere in the house where you can store the gifts, consider hiring a small self-storage unit (even just a 10 ft sq locker) for a few pounds a week. If you choose to do so, you could also use the space to store excess furniture or furnishings to de-clutter your house to make space for guests over Christmas.
 

5. Hide them in plain sight

Collect a few empty cardboard boxes next time you’re at the supermarket. If you have cats, choose cat food boxes and allow your children to assume that they contain just that! Or label cardboard boxes with innocuous-sounding names like ‘Receipts’ or ‘Cables’ and they should remain uninvestigated. If you’re feeling particularly bold, consider hiding your children’s presents in their own rooms, maybe under their beds or at the back of their wardrobes.

On a final note, you really should take a note of where you’ve hidden the gifts. You wouldn’t be the first person to discover a hardback book stuffed down the back of your wardrobe in July or a bottle of perfume hidden in the toilet cistern several weeks into the new year… To avoid disappointed faces or that annoying sense of, “Where on earth did I put it…?” make a note of your hiding places. Hopefully, it’ll be easier to hide that note than it is to hide the presents!