We’ve gotten over the hump, which is Thanksgiving  and Black Friday! It’s onto the 25 days of Christmas countdown. There’s a lot of anticipation around the special day. Kids are handing in their Christmas lists, you’ve found yourself buying any good deal in sight (the items will eventually find owners) and planning all the special activities for your family. However, with all the items you’ve acquired between Black Friday and now, you’re probably wondering where to put everything. South Florida is notorious for not offering adequate closet space, and this is especially painful during the holidays when your kids are lurking and you need those secret storage spaces most.

Where should parents hide presents during Christmas time in South Florida?

Attic/Crawl Space

Most houses in Florida, don’t have a basement, but the majority of them either have an attic or crawl space. These areas are usually hard to access. This may be great for the kids, a little difficult for you, but if you really want to outsmart them, this is probably one of the best places to hide presents. Both of these places are usually unfinished compared to rest of the house, so store your items in sealed plastic containers and be careful if there are any items that need to be temperature controlled.

Items to store: stocking stuffers, small toys, board games

Garage

This works great because you can hide presents in between objects that are already in the garage. Most times the doors to get in the garage are harder to open and shut, so if the little ones decide to sneak inside you’ll hear them. However there are a couple preventative measures to take when storing presents here. Don’t leaving unwrapped boxes out, as palmetto bugs are attracted to cardboard. If you’re going to store items, get a storage bin and keep them safe in that. Remember, no clear ones, you wouldn’t want anyone to see what’s inside.

Items to store: stocking stuffers, big toys, gift cards

Master Bed Closet

Chances are this is your closet, which means you have to be very careful. Often times, kids come in and out of their parents’ bedroom and during this time of year you might find yourself a little peeper. It’s recommended that you strategically places the gifts, so you’ll know if you had anyone sneaking in to see what they are getting for Christmas. If your kids still believe in Santa wait until the night before Christmas to address who the presents are for.

Items to store: electronics, jewelry, gift cards

Car

Be very careful with this. Think of it as more of a “holding cell,” especially if you don’t live in a gated community or have tinted windows. Always put the items in a solid colored bin and don’t bring attention to them. Put them in the trunk until you can find a safer place to relocate them to. This method works best if your presents are too heavy and already prewrapped.

Items to store: stocking stuffers, clothes, small toys 

Work

This is the best place because you won’t have to worry if your kids will find them at all. No questions like “Is Santa real?” will be asked at all. If you plan on buying a lot it might start to get a little out of control, just make sure to ask your boss before you start to take over the whole office with presents. Also, be careful for others at work too, you wouldn’t want anything to get stolen, so make sure to label everything!

Items to store: big toys, anything from Amazon, top Christmas gifts