How to Figure Out What Your Parents Got You for Christmas

Last Updated: January 5, 2023

Imagine this. You're lying on your living room floor near the Christmas tree one week before Christmas. You think, "The gifts can't just magically show up out of nowhere on Christmas morning; maybe I can find them before Christmas day?" That leads you to run down to the basement to look for the art set you've always wanted. You don't find the art set, but you do find one of your parents doing laundry. Oops. You're caught. If you want to avoid this unfortunate scenario, read on!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Finding the Gifts

1
Start with the obvious: look in basements, in the trunk of their cars, under beds, on top of shelves. Parents are usually busy and may not have time to hide presents well.^{[1]
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- If your parents work overtime during the holidays or have a job that is in high demand during the holidays (e.g. department stores or other retail jobs), keep a keen eye out for poorly hidden presents.
2
Examine any suspicious boxes or bags for company or store names as shipped boxes may have a return address. If you wanted something from that company, you can get a pretty good idea of what might be inside.

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3
Don't look just at the biggest present. They may have bought you tickets to a show you really wanted to go to, or bought you a voucher for a shop you really love. Think about what you want. If you want a car, it will be big, but if you want to go to have your ears pierced, they may just give you a card saying that's what you are going to do.
- Thinking about the size, shape, and even texture of your present can help you if your parents color-code their gift tags.
4
If you asked for something unusual, consider what they may ask you of this item (where do you get it, what does it do, who else has it...). This means they are at least thinking about buying it.
5
Question siblings. A classic maneuver. Arrange an exchange of information if you must-this is often the case with older siblings.
- If you are an only child, question cousins or other relatives. For this route, preparing an exchange of information or a bribe will probably be necessary, as they are probably less likely to want to help you snoop.
6
Check bags for store receipts. They may have information about recent purchases.
7
If still stumped, think about your parents' shopping habits. Did they most likely order your gifts online or did they store-buy? If online, check the order history on their online accounts. Amazon.com keeps lists of all of one's orders-a real jackpot. Most smart parents know what you're trying to do so be VERY sneaky!^{[2]
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8
If you have a friend owning something you requested (especially something your parents are unfamiliar with), they may call your friend's parents to ask them about it. This is a huge clue, but is also easily hidden by parents.
9
Sometimes parents are just last minute shoppers-maybe they haven't gotten you anything yet (there's always Christmas Eve)!
10
The hardest gifts are the ones your parents keep at your neighbor's house. That includes dogs, bikes, etc. While hard to get clues, try to find where your parents are stashing these gifts, like if your Mom or Dad stops at a neighbor's house after shopping.
11
Parents often leave presents in the car trunk. Usually they keep them there for awhile--for the opportunity to sneak it home or to a neighbor's house. You may be able to sneak a peek at the trunk when you go to the garage for some bogus reason.
12
Though trickier, you can also peek at wrapped gifts. This requires some skill and is not for the untrained. If you do unwrap your gift, be sure the return it to its original state.
13
When they are out, check your parents' Internet history to see if they bought or looked at what you asked for.^{[3]
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14
If you have sheds at your house, or you live on a farm, it is possible that gifts will be hidden there.
15
Take a DVD box and compare to gifts of similar size. If it rattles, bingo, you've got a disc. It could be a DVD or a video game, especially if that's what you wanted. This is a good, non-invasive method.
16
Feel the boxes of the presents you want, make sure you feel all the soft spots and where exactly they were. When you get home, feel the boxes wrapped up under the tree, feel the edges and for soft spots, if you know where all the creases of the box, you should know what present it is.
17
If you know how to enter your parent's email/texts do so. Sometimes you could find conformation emails or even have your parents talking about it(ex. Have you bought (your name)'s Xbox yet?)
18
Listen out for subtle slip ups your parents might make that could give away the secret. For example, if they are thinking about getting you a DVD, they may ask you if your DVD player still works. If they are going to get you a TV, then they may ask you "Can you plug your [DVD player/Chromecast/whatever] into new TVs?". Similar clues are very easy to spot for more technical gifts that your parents don't understand as well as you do (but may be obvious for other gifts also), and while a clue like this is by no means a guarantee of the gift, it's usually a pretty good indicator of it.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Taking a Peek

1
Make sure to "borrow" all of the supplies that you'll need to open the gift.
2
Make sure you know or have the same wrapping paper as the present, and a lot of it, so you won't have to get caught not being able to wrap it back!
3
Pad the box with pillows so your parents won't hear the rattling while walking around.
4
Put the tape at the bottom.
5
Put the scissors next to the tape.
6
Next on top is the wrapping paper. Then the screwdriver.
7
Also on top place the letter opener, flash light, the paper clips and a blanket.
8
Open your gift. Use the scissors to cut the tape.
9
Carefully part the gift wrap, making sure not to tear it.
10
Look at your gift. Admire your gift. Do not take it to your room or use it.
11
Now, the skilled tape applying: Put strips of tape over cut tape, to hide evidence of cut tape.
12
Put away the gift for now, if you don't like it. You can replace it. If you didn't replace, keep reading:
13
Once you remember it, like it, and got details, you need to wrap the present all over again. Use the same wrapping paper your parents used, and try to wrap the paper the same way as your parents did. Once it is back, put the present back where you found it.^{[4]
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14
Put all the borrowed supplies back exactly where you found them or your parents will suspect something.
15
If you have a bagged present, then this is easy as pie! Just take out the tissue paper carefully and put it back when you're done.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Remembering Your Parents' Observations

1
You said something like, "I want a new camera someday." Remember stuff you wanted and your parents wanted to get you that for Christmas.
- Your parents always refresh their minds on Christmas on what to get you.
2
If you gave them a Christmas list, look for it. They might have crossed out what they already bought.
3
Look in the garage or shed.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I buy my parents a gift when I don't live by a store and can't drive?

Community Answer

Ask your parents to take you to the store, ask them to leave you alone while you shop. Usually, if they want an explanation for why they should leave you alone, you can just say, "Christmas is coming," and they'll understand. If the store gift wraps for you, you might want to have them wrap the gifts so that when your parents bring you home, they won't be able to tell what you bought. If you can't get the gifts wrapped, just use a lot of plastic bags. Another option would be to go shopping with a friend.
Question

What if you're poor, and you only have a computer and get only one present?

Community Answer

Your parents work very hard to make money and provide for you. If you only get one present, don't whine and cry because that will make them feel very bad.
Question

I found a video game that I'm getting, but I already have it. I don't want to hurt my mom's feeling by telling her I have it already, what do I do?

TMDonutTM

Community Answer

Just play it in front of her, or show her “this cool video game I just got” so she can see you already have it without hurting her feelings or revealing that you know what you're getting.

Warnings

Some parents install tamper guards (special markings or arrangements) to help them determine if anyone touches or moves an item. Check bags and boxes for anything out of the ordinary and always replace it exactly just as you found it!

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Helpful 6 Not Helpful 0
If you find something you didn't want, be grateful anyway. This is the polite, kindhearted thing to do. It's also possible that you may not get anything next year if you demonstrate that you aren't grateful for what you were given this year.

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If you're looking at your parent's emails, make sure the email you're checking was already read. If it's marked as unread, just look at the title and don't open it, or mark it as unread after reading it.

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Looking at the present will ruin the surprise and the fun.

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Some email services, such as Gmail, use tracking to identify unusual devices logging into the account and will send a notification to a backup email address if unusual login activity occurs. If you're trying to look at your parent's email, make sure you're logging in on a device your parent already uses to check their email.

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Do not begin using a present that you find. The purpose of present hunting is strictly to find and look at the present before actually receiving it on Christmas. Using the gift increases your odds of being caught.

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Being caught present hunting can be dangerous. Some parents will go as far as to ground you! Be aware of the location of family members at all times, and if you hear someone coming, hide.

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