Some people hide their Christmas presents from loved ones so well that they don't find all of them in time for gifting. Amazon pointed to a survey of 2,074 adults in Germany, conducted by Kantar between October 23 and November 3, 2025. Nearly a third (32%) of respondents said they have hidden gifts so well that they only found them again after Christmas.
According to the survey, the most common hiding places for Christmas presents in Germany are in wardrobes or closets (50%), under the bed (26%), behind books on shelves (16%), in the attic (12%), or in the sock drawer (12%), followed by suitcases (11%), the garage (9%), shoe boxes (8%), and even laundry baskets (6%).
Two percent of respondents stated that they hide Christmas presents in the freezer, in the microwave, in cereal boxes, or in washing machines/dryers.
Amazon published the survey results in part to address consumers' attitudes about packaging waste - it found 61% feel guilty about the excessive packaging waste at Christmas. It reassured them, stating "These days, every second Amazon order is delivered without a traditional box or directly in the manufacturer's original packaging. This means less packaging waste for recycling – and has helped save more than 4 million tons of packaging material since 2015," according to Amazon Germany's post.
And for those who are afraid that packages arriving in original packaging might spoil the surprise, Amazon advised shoppers: "if you're buying a gift for someone you live with who might be home for the delivery, simply tick the box at checkout to add free Amazon gift wrapping and preserve the surprise."
The survey asked German consumers about their use of more sustainable alternatives for wrapping their gifts and found: "Two out of five respondents (40%) have already reused shipping boxes or brown paper, 30% have used newspapers or magazines, and 16% have wrapped gifts in scarves, tissues, maps, or posters. One in ten (13%) has even used aluminum foil!"
The full post can be found on
Amazon Germany (we translated from German via Google Translate), and feel free to share your favorite hiding places to keep the snoops in your house from finding their presents.
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