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Surprising Places to Hide Holiday Gifts

You’ve scoured the internet, visited a dozen stores, and got the best deals on holiday gifts sure to please everyone on your list. But that was the easy part! Now you face the difficult task of keeping them hidden from snooping children and spouses.

We’re here to help you keep the holiday magic alive with this list of clever hiding spots.

 1. Decoy Box. Label a box or bin with something uninteresting like “Receipts” or “Tax Returns” and hide it among similarly-sized boxes, each of which also is labeled.

 2. Underwear Drawer. Tuck small gifts beneath a layer of your unmentionables; this will surely keep nosey teenagers away!

 3. Friend Swap. For large, hard to hide items, ask friends to keep packages at their house. You can do the same for them, which has a secondary benefit – it can throw a curve at a child who finds a gift that was nowhere near their gift list.

 4. Trash Bin. No, we aren’t recommending you hide presents in the midst of real trash. However, a new bin or barrel kept in a garage or basement makes a great decoy. Top the container with old newspapers and magazines that you plan to recycle.

 5. Spooky Spots. If you have small children, you can bet they won’t snoop in those dark, cobweb filled areas, like the attic, basement, or utility room.

 6. In Plain Sight. While your kids might look under your bed or in your closet, they probably won’t think to look in their own rooms. Just be sure to select areas they rarely search or use; or hide gifts in in boxes labeled “baby clothes”.

 7. Suitcases. Fill those tucked-away and rarely used suitcases, duffle bags, and backpacks with presents large and small.

 8. Storage Unit. If you don’t have the room in your home, you may need to rent a storage unit for the month. The good news is you can hide those hard-to-conceal presents with ease and make as many trips as you want throughout the holiday shopping season.

And now for a place or two you never want to hide a gift, and that’s near any heat source like a baseboard unit, furnace vent, water heater, or wood stove.  That’s a recipe for an accidental fire, and not worth whatever surprise value might come from such an effort. At the same time, Messmer Mechanical is always on hand for any plumbing, heating, and hot water needs you might have.