What if they discover their gifts?
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
United States
December 14, 2010 9:35am CST
I did a little bit of shopping yesterday.. still not nearly done though.
I got home from shopping only minutes before my kids were to get home from school, so I did not have time to properly hide the gifts I'd bought. So I shoved them in a corner of my bedroom and threw something over them to cover them.. I just grabbed the first thing I could to cover them with.. it was hubby's bathrobe.
So the night goes on, I forget about the gifts knowing I have until tomorrow to put them away.
Normally the kids are in bed before hubby gets home.. but last night they got interested in a show I was watching and I saw no harm letting them stay up to watch it.
So hubby comes home, and asks my oldest son to go get hubby's slippers and bathrobe. At first I thought nothing of it. But then I began to wonder if I'd put his magazine subscription certificate away (he's getting a 6 month subscription to Sports Illustrated for Christmas). That darn thing... I've kept in in the drawer with the stocking stuffers, and at one point during the night I was attempting to organize the stocking stuffers (to see where I stand and who's stocking needs more stuffers) and had put the certificate on top of the table.
So I run in the room to make sure that's put away (and it wasn't)... and that's when I see the bags in the corner, now uncovered because my son had already grabbed the bathrobe.. and at the top of the pile is a shoe box which clearly reads "Skechers".
Well, I'm not certain my son saw it.. or that he even knows that the Skechers are for him.. I suppose he could assume they're for someone else in the house. But I am so upset! This poor boy hasn't owned a brand new pair of name brand shoes since he was like 4 (before the twins).. and the last pair of name brand shoes he owned were purchased at the Salvation Army.. he picked them out, a pair of Nike's that are still a size or 2 too big.. but he still wears them, I'm guessing just to show that he owns name brand shoes. I was so proud of the fact that I could get him a pair of Skechers.. I really hope that surprise isn't ruined!
Do you have any stories of someone discovering their gifts by accident.. or maybe even on purpose? What do you do when someone discovers their gift?
3 people like this
15 responses
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Dec 10
Just the other day, Naomi discovered a book that Richard had bought for her. He had cleverly left it in plain view in his car when he picked them all up from school.
But the "best" discovering gifts story happened when I was about 10. Mom had the gifts in the den closet and I was poking around and "exploring" when my foot went through one that had a glass lid and cut my heel pretty badly. I needed stitches, but mom was so mad that she just put a butterfly bandage on it. I still have the scar...
3 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
14 Dec 10
Broken and all I assume? Did your mother go out and buy it again to give it to the person it was originally intended for?
3 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
14 Dec 10
Oh that's hilarious! Sounds like something I'd do.. "Serves you right for snooping!" LOL
3 people like this
@luvandpower (2048)
• United States
14 Dec 10
On Christmas Eve we normally put the gifts under the tree. We do the packaging that morning as well. Well, we had a conference somewhere and so we didn't get any time to package them that day. We went downstairs with the un packaged presents to package then to store around the tree when I realized lal of a sudden that my little sister at the age of three had been standing at the doorway for at least five minutes just watching in terrified shock...
3 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
14 Dec 10
LOL.. cute story, poor little girl!
2 people like this
@luvandpower (2048)
• United States
16 Dec 10
Yet the odd part at age ten she still believes in Santa just not that he brings gifts. o.O
1 person likes this
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
14 Dec 10
One year my kids decided they wanted to know what they were getting for CHristmas....so while I was working my second job they unwrapped their gifts. I never guessed as they did such a great job retaping them....but later they told me that it was the worst Christmas they ever had...knowing ahead of time what they were getting....they never did it again!
3 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
14 Dec 10
Well, it's good they learned their lesson.
2 people like this
@shaggin (72125)
• United States
15 Dec 10
My kids know I keep the presents in the cellar but luckily they dont know where. There is so much stuff down there that they would search for a long time before finding the presents unless they looked at the giant sized totes that say xmas on them lol. But we have about 8 of them due to all the xmas decorations we have. The other day my son was being bad and I told him I had to go down and look at his presents to see what I needed to buy not thinking anything of it. I just wanted him to know where I was I guess lol. I heard him at the top of the cellar steps asking me if the presents were down there. I told him yes and not to come down. He knows the floors are gross since we get water on the cement floor every time it rains it leaks in from somewhere. Awhile later I heard his little feet on the stairs. He went and got his boots which are really hard for him to put on. He put them on his feet somehow and walked down the steps and looked around and asked where his presents are. I started laughing and told him its a secret and he has to wait to get them until christmas time. Hope my story makes you chuckle a little to make you feel a little better about the possibilty of your son finding out his Christmas gift!
2 people like this
@shaggin (72125)
• United States
15 Dec 10
He might have saw them and knew he wasent supposed to see them so isnt saying anything. Hopefully though hes like a typical kid and doesnt pay attention to things. Hopefully he just grabbed the housecoat and left the room. Thats a cute story about the shirt. My son is only 3 so if he sees a Christmas present after a few days he doesnt talk about it anymore and I assume he forgets. Its not to big of a deal. When my daughter would see her presents I would tell her it was for my niece. Then on Christmas she would open it and be like I thought this was for her and I'd say well I didnt want you to know it was your present. I think she will remember now that she is 6 if I tell her that then its probably for her so I just have to be more careful. She used to go shopping with me all the time but now I go shopping with my son while shes at school. I dont think she has seen any of her presents at all this year.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Dec 10
How old is your son?
My son, who discovered the sneakers, is 13. That's what makes it worse. A few years ago my middle son, who was 6 at the time, discovered a t-shirt I'd planned to give him for Christmas.. it had fallen out of the bag and was accidentally left in the car when I picked the kids up from school. I played it off like I had bought it to give to charity.. and when he opened it Christmas morning I told him Santa must have known that he liked the shirt I bought for charity, so Santa got him one too. Well I can't tell a story like that to my 13 year old.. he knows better, LOL. So far he has not mentioned seeing them.. so perhaps he didn't notice. He was probably more concerned with searching for the slippers. If he had seen the shoe box and knew what it was I'm sure by now I would have heard him telling one of the younger ones that he saw it and knows what he's getting for Christmas.
3 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
14 Dec 10
It was a challenge to hide the gifts for the children as Christmas approached.I remember as a child my sister Gill asking me if I knew where her gifts were.I was all of 6 years and I told her. She looked at them all and cried to my mother that I had showed her her gifts. I couldn't even reach the cupboard where they were hidden. So guess who got into trouble?
3 people like this
@okroger88 (24)
• United States
14 Dec 10
If the kid discover some gifts that you have tell them it's going back to the store
and they are out of getting gifts this xmas,than pretend to place the gifts back into your car and take the kids with you and drop them off to a relative's home than get home to hide the gifts. Don't rush back home take it easy and watch out for cars when driving.
3 people like this
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
15 Dec 10
Do you have a friend or relative nearby whee you can stash the gifts?
If I had kids, I'd send the gifts to my friend's house with him, and then go there to wrap them while they were in school, or else have my friend and I trade houses for the afternoon, he comes to watch the kids, I go to his place to wrap gifts! LOL
It's just hubby and I though, but I still have his gift well hidden. We're going to Toronto for Christmas, and I've ordered an extra night (which I'll pay for myself!) and as such had to order bus tickets for dates that we did not originally discuss. He thinks we're coming home on the 26th, but we're coming on the 27th!!. Of course I can't let him see the bus tickets till the morning we leave, but I can't leave them at Will Call either, since we're leaving on the 7 AM bus before they open.
So, I'm going to have the tickets mailed to my friend's house, and he'll discreetly give them to me on Christmas eve when he sees me. As for the "room," I am asking the hotel folks to print up a nice gift-certificate-looking thing explaining that I paid for an extra night, and I'll give that to hubby on Christmas morning. This stuff works absolutely great when you have friends in town, where you can store stuff. LOL
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Dec 10
What a pain in the @$$ that would be!! Keep in mind I have 5 kids.. who get over 10 gifts each.. which I don't buy or wrap all at once.. so that would mean multiple trips to this friend's house per week.. plus multiple trips late Christmas Eve to bring the gifts here. Just a major pain. Not to mention I don't have friends who don't have their own kids.
I've never before had an issue with hiding the gifts in the house.. I keep hubby's gifts here too but he knows not to go snooping, and it's not difficult to sneak them in since he's at work all day and most of the kids are at school (one is still home and one is home half days).
The only reason this was an issue was because, as I said, I didn't have time to properly hide the gift as the kid's bus was pulling in just after I walked in the door, so I tried to hide them quickly.
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
14 Dec 10
He didn't discover it because he was nosy.. it was an accident. I will still give it to him anyways.. as he really does need new shoes.
2 people like this
@buggles64 (2709)
• United States
21 Dec 10
I wrapped my son's gift, and didn't tape it as well as I should have. My daughter went to the tree, picked it up, shook it and then proceeded to lift up the loose wrapping paper. "I know what it is she exclaimed!" I was dumbfounded, what the heck..it was the only present under the tree, and she already figured out what it was. I decided no more gifts are going under the tree until Christmas Eve and they are in bed....lol, all the presents are hid, and they will not find them.
1 person likes this
@TrvlArrngr (4045)
• United States
15 Dec 10
My kids used to always search. I had to become creative each year in where I hid the presents. 2 years ago I found out my kids were still looking and they were then 14 and 16. I sat them down and said "listen, you guys are old enough that you do not believe in Santa but why ruin the surprise for yourselves?" Then on Christmas I miss out on seeing you surprised because you on Christmas morning you already knowwhat you got.
I used to wrap them as I bought them and only put a letter in a tiny place on the wrappings to identify who it was for. Well my daughter fessed up and told me that one year they went so far as to unwrap and then rewrap without ruining the wrapping paper! Kids will do anything! So hide them - where ever you can - in the garage, in the attic, basement, or anywhere they wont go. Some stay away from laundry rooms so you can hide stuff in the hamper. Be creative but never underestimate kids! lol
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Dec 10
My kids don't snoop.. and the gifts are hidden in my room, which is where my computer is so I'm in here 90% of the time. As I said, the only reason it was an issue this time was because I didn't hide it properly as I was in a hurry.
2 people like this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
17 Dec 10
To a certain extent, my kids have discovered one of Paul's big gifts for this year, but they really don't know what it is other than a toy. Now last year I got both of the kids new comforters as part of their gift from Tom and myself. Paul had discovered his well before Christmas and I convinced him that it was something for his daddy. When he opened the gift on Christmas morning, he looked at me with the biggest look of disappointment and said, "This is Daddy's."
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
17 Dec 10
Well I hope that doesn't happen with my son! I got some money earlier this week and couldn't wait to go spend it.. so I picked up my friend and hit the shops. I found my 4 year old an awesome winter coat.. but of course the 4 year old was with me, so we pretended like my friend was buying it for her son. Hopefully when he opens it he'll just be happy he got it and not flip out thinking it's someone else's!
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@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
18 Dec 10
I thought it was actually kind of funny that he reacted to it the way that he did.
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@joystick (1675)
•
15 Dec 10
I think that there are alot of children that go looking for the things that we have got them for christmas.I think that there are also some partners that also do the same as well.I have to hide everything up in the loft so that noone finds what they are gettting as they seem to hunt for the things that i have got otherwise.
2 people like this
@chelseabelle (197)
• United States
15 Dec 10
When my brother, sisters and I were younger we snuck into the presents all the time. My dad one year decided to switch the name tags around on the presents. His idea didn't really work seeing as how everybody go what someone else asked for. We eventually figured out who's presents were who's and then when it came time to open our presents my dad forgot how he switched the presents so we ended up opening the wrong presents anyways! lol. I don't think it really matters if he saw it or not. You were thinking about it and that right there means a lot!
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Dec 10
Cute story.. I bet you guys were disappointed at first.
1 person likes this
@Caduceus123 (44)
• Philippines
15 Dec 10
Amazing it is! LOL. I would be speechless for a while. but anyways goodluck!!
@starlight_starbright (810)
• Philippines
15 Dec 10
hello katmoew1213,
I guess the surprise wasn't ruined at all. If he so happened saw it, he would have been surprised. And I guess he is now thinking whether it would be his or it belongs to somebody else. But I think in this situation, it wasn't him who missed something, it would be you who missed the sparkle in his eyes upon seeing a new pair of branded shoes you have bought for him! When I was young me and my two sibling would hang our sock for Santa's Visit every night 10 days before Christmas. When I turned 7, we started wondering how Santa comes and sneaks in the house to bring us some gifts. Know what we did? We didn't sleep and waited for Santa to come and fill our socks with candies. We failed. We didn't catch him. The next day, while we were playing hide and seek, my eldest brother and I were startled when our youngest brother screamed out "I found it!" Altogether we pulled a plastic bag out of the closet and found the variety of candies we received last night! When mom arrived we were so excited to tell her we know now who Santa is. From there on, Santa no longer puts candies in our socks. 
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Dec 10
You're so right.. I am the one who loses something this year if the surprise is ruined.. and that is so upsetting. He'll still love the shoes when he recieves them.
Thank you for sharing your story.. I do the same thing as your mother, store the extra candies in a closet. My older 2 kids already know there is not a Santa, the younger 3 still believe.. but I could easily come up with a story they'd believe, such as "Santa left me extras in case you wanted more after yours was gone"
1 person likes this
@starlight_starbright (810)
• Philippines
21 Dec 10
Oh! My mom could have used that alibi! lol! But she didn't. Anyway, I would want my children to experience the same. Thanks for the mark! Merry Christmas!
