Tips for storing Christmas presents

Christmas can be a trying time of year. In particular, storing Christmas presents can be particularly irksome.

It can test the patience of even the most even-tempered, tolerant parent.

The yearly game of hide and seek with Christmas presents – great fun for the kids – can be a nightmare for Mum and Dad.

That place you thought was fool proof. They found it last year. They found they place you thought was absolutely impregnable the year before. You’re running out of ideas. But at the same time, you seem to have more presents than ever.

The problem: where to store them?

Here at Store First, we’re familiar with this issue. Painfully familiar.

So we came up with some (hopefully) helpful ideas, that will help you get one over on the little terrors this year.

Wrap them immediately

Ok, so this tip might not stop them from finding their presents. However, it will ensure that if they do find them, only the bravest will risk unwrapping them to work out what they are. And if you couple this technique with some of the tips below, hopefully, you’ll ensure that not only do they not find the hideaway in which you’ve stored their presents, but that you avoid the mad dash to wrap them all on Christmas eve, too.

Hide them in plain view

If you have a home office, or a filing cabinet used for payslips, insurance paperwork, the logbook for your car, passports and any other detritus that the kids aren’t allowed to go near, hide the presents with these. The fact that they’re effectively in plain sight might be enough to put your eager trackers off the scent.

Where they’re scared to go

Do you have a dark cellar, or creepy loft conversion that your kids are scared of? If you do, it’s the perfect place to hide their presents. Even the most determined children will be hard pushed to make themselves face their fears and enter into the bogeyman’s domain to try to find out if the games console they wanted is stored there.

Failing that, if you have an attic, garage, or garden shed that they can’t get into, these also make perfect places to store their presents until the time comes to root them out and stick them under the tree.

Try to avoid the usual suspects

Under your bed just isn’t good enough. This type of lazy present hiding is practically inviting your kids to find them. Your wardrobe isn’t a particularly safe bet, either. If you really want to make it difficult for your kids to find where you’ve got their presents in storage, then avoid the stereotypical places.

Under the false bottom in your boot

Most cars, ok not all, have a second floor in the boot these days. I tend to keep the false bottom in the garage and use the whole boot, even if it is usually empty except for gym kit, all the time.

Put the false bottom back in, stick the presents under it, and, voila; the perfect hiding place. Not only will your kids very rarely see the boot of your car, they also won’t have access to it anyway. And if they are helping you load up after the big shop, they won’t notice that there’s a little less space in there than usual.

If your car has a false bottom in the boot, it can make the perfect spot for storing Christmas presents and hiding them from prying eyes.

Make the most of empty space

If you have a kitchen cupboard that’s awkward to get to (and maybe the kids can’t reach) and isn’t really used for much, this can be an excellent spot for hiding the presents in. Equally, cleaning cupboards, only the most vivacious will think to look amongst the bleach, carpet cleaner and leather polish.

Try storing your presents in one of these places, my guess is that they won’t get found.

Lay false trails

Nothing will be more discouraging to a young treasure hunter than thinking they’ve found the stash, only to realise that it’s an empty box. By putting some fugazis in the usual places – such as under the bed, maybe even your sock drawer – you give the kids the fun of their hunt for presents, while at the same time, protecting the real spots you’ve stored the goods in.

Who knows, if they find enough fakes, they may even give up eventually.

Get them out of the house

If you’ve already tried and tested the ideas above and they’ve been found wanting, then get the presents out of the house entirely. Ask your Mum and Dad if you can keep them round at their house, keep them at a friends’, you could even use a self-storage unit, like those provided by Store First, to make absolutely sure that you, and only you, will be finding the presents before the appointed day.

Obviously this is a last resort, but if you’ve exhausted all else, there is no option that is more secure.

Whatever you go for, have a great Chrsitmas!