Are you ready to be the best Santa ever? The first step is making sure your kids (or spouse) don’t snoop for their gifts. Full disclosure, we’re a little biased regarding where to hide your holiday presents. After all, we’re storage unit people. However, some of you reading this might not be close to a SecurCare self storage facility. (Sorry, we’re busy opening new locations all the time!) If you need some other ideas on where to hide presents, we’ve got them for you below.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Idea 1: Hide Presents at Grandma’s House
If grandma and grampa live over the river and through the woods, their house might be a good choice. It’s wholly removed and far away from your house or apartment and thus safe from prying eyes. However, depending on how far away they are, going back and forth with presents might be a hassle.
Idea 2: Hide Presents at a Friend’s House
Like grandma and grandpa’s place, a neighbor or friend’s house is a pretty good choice for hiding presents. It’s removed from your home completely, and your kids typically won’t have access. Then again, it might be problematic if you’re very close with your neighbors and friends. (Your kids might, for example, visit their home often.) Also, if your neighbors and friends have kids also, we recommend skipping this holiday hiding idea entirely. (Several kids working in cahoots to discover what presents they’re getting? No, thank you!)
(Bad) Idea #3: Hide Presents in Your Home
Here’s the thing; if you genuinely don’t want anyone to see their presents, your home is a poor choice. A skilled gift-peeker will probably find them in the attic, the basement, or the garage. Now, sure, if you have tiny kids, hiding things at home might work. Then again, we’ve heard of kids as young as 2 years old searching for holiday gifts! (They’re on the Naughty List this year!)
Also, remember that some locations in your home can be risky for storing gifts.
The basement, for example, might be damp enough to ruin electronic gifts. It could also transfer a musty odor to clothing gifts like sweaters. The attic? Depending on where you live, it might get scorching hot up there. For some presents, that would cause a melted mess on Christmas day. Depending on your garage and the climate where you live, storing holiday gifts might be a bad call.
Idea #4: Have a Garden Shed? Try There!
Many folks use the old standby of the shed in their yard to store holiday gifts and presents. In fact, on the list of “where to hide presents,” the shed is right up there at the top! Now, sure, your shed may work for hiding some things, like maybe a new lawnmower. On the other hand, intelligent kids will quickly catch on to your shed charade. (Your significant other probably will, too!) So the shed makes an easy target for present peeking pirates!
Also, depending on your shed and winter climate, hiding things inside might be risky. A 55-inch smart TV, for example, probably shouldn’t spend much time in a leaky, old shed. Presents like sweaters, socks and cool T-shirts? Depending on how damp your shed is, those presents might get moldy. They also might become a new home for mice, squirrels, and other rodents. That would make for a blue Christmas indeed.
(BEST) Idea #5: Storage Units to Hide Gifts!
In our humble opinion, a storage unit is a perfect answer to where to hide holiday presents. Below are the many benefits a storage unit brings at holiday hiding time, including:
- The kids will never, ever be able to access your storage unit.
- A storage unit is wholly removed from your home, preventing peekers of all ages.
- Storage units are safe, clean, and secure, the perfect hiding spot for any present or gift.
- You can access your storage unit whenever you make a new present purchase. That way, you don’t even have to take it home until the big day.
- Getting in and out of a storage unit is more accessible than your attic or crawl space. (Also, there are never bugs, cobwebs, and critters to deal with!)
- You can rent a storage unit for one month only if you like. (SecurCare only offers month-to-month rentals. That way, you’ll never get stuck in a long-term contract.)
Check out more life hacks on our blog!
This post was published on 12/12/2016. It was updated on 12/16/2021.