Organizing Tip // Christmas Gift Storage

Every year I am inundated by the sheer volume of Christmas gifts that I purchase and store in my home as I prepare for the big day. Although our family is small, finding space for gifts for 2 young girls, sisters and their families, parents, and aunts and uncles can be quite challenging, especially since Santa is still making trips to our home. Over the years I have tried a lot of solutions that failed. They added to the clutter, blocked tools and equipment in the basement, and probably provided a fire hazard or two. Here's two ideas that are super simple, but have proven to be successful for me:

1. Out of sight, out of mind - If Santa still frequents your home and the kids have become expert sleuths in finding gifts in your old favorite spots (back of your closet, attic, hallway closet) it's time to get more creative. I have been hiding those gifts in our suitcases for a few years now with 0% of incident. If you have one or two large suitcases that don't travel with you much, stack the gifts neatly inside and zip them back up. Remember not to change the location of your suitcases from where they are usually stored to reduce suspicion. Not enough space? Stash the extras between seldom used bedding in your linen closet (assuming the kids never go in there) or inside of existing empty storage containers that are already staged in your home (again, the key is for nothing to move from it's normal "home").
2. For the gifts you don't need to hide from the kids - Wrap gifts as you purchase them to save yourself from the typical wrapping marathon that tends to happen in the wee hours before Christmas day. I like to start this at least a month in advance and do a little bit each week. Once wrapped, group gifts by location or family members you will be visiting. Store the groups of gifts in ready-to-go, reusable shopping bags or boxes in out of the way, yet accessible spots, like a corner of a basement shelf, garage or hallway closet.