By Nancy Mattia, CTW Features
Buying toys, video games, and other gifts for little ones is so much fun—until they start searching throughout the house to find the goods early. Whether you caught a great Black Friday sale or Santa delivered to your home weeks ahead of time, you want to keep the presents under wraps until the holiday arrives. There are so many clever locations for hiding gifts, there’s no reason to resort to obvious places like under a bed or in a car trunk. Take a look below for some super sneaky hideaways:
Your neighbor’s house
Get your friendly neighbor in on the plan by storing your gifts temporarily at their place. The kids will never suspect a thing! Ask if you can get any online gifts shipped directly to their address; if not, bring the items over as soon as you return from the store, or they arrive at your doorstep via FedEx or UPS.
A storage ottoman
Get rid of the old magazines currently stuffed inside your storage ottoman and you’ve got the perfect place to hide small toys and gifts. The best part: You still have a place to rest your feet!
A box marked “Tax Returns”
One look at this label and your kids won’t go near it again. You can mislabel more boxes to thwart the children like “Dental Records,” “Appliance Warranties,” or “VHS Tapes.”
Your workplace
If your job is in an office outside of your home, consider storing gifts in an empty drawer or closet there. Since “Take Your Child to Work Day” doesn’t happen until April, this could be an excellent option.
A piano bench
While they’re practicing piano every day, they’ll never suspect they’re sitting on the stash!
The back of a high shelf behind clothes
As long as you’re sure your little ones won’t climb on a chair to reach the shelf and its potential jackpot, this hiding spot can work in every bedroom, including theirs.
A suitcase or cooler
If you’re staying home this holiday season, you can still put your suitcases to good use by hiding presents in them. An out-of-season cooler kept in the garage works too.
A room they think is scary
Attics and basements have a bad reputation among some kids as being petrifying places with strange sounds, dark corners, or ghost sightings. Take advantage and store gifts there but be sure to cover the goods with a tarp or old sheet, just in case.
An out-of-season clothing bin
There’s no reason a child would search a bin labeled “Summer Clothes” in December.
Behind books on a bookshelf
As long as the shelves are deep enough, this hiding place is perfect for small gifts. Use a high shelf to avoid any eye-level discoveries.