Red Buckeye Update

We are having the most amazingly warm weather here in eastern North Carolina (77F or 25C on Christmas day) More warm days are promised & it looks as though we will not see frost until the first of next year although we have experienced frost earlier this season.

In early November I posted about the seeds of my Red Buckeye that I collected & potted up.
Of the seven seeds, three were dug up by squirrels even though they had chicken wire over the pots. Is there squirrel wire I wonder? Anyway after battening down the said wire no more raiders have gained access.
We have had a very wet year, well above 60 inches of rain which is a lot even for us.
This what I found in the corral by the potting shed this morning.

Looks like 3 have or are germinating they must think it is spring.
One I think I planted upside down & that looks like a root  at the top.
(Yes, there are cyclamen seedlings in there too.)
 What to do?
 These seeds are supposed to need stratification (winter cold) before germinating. Shall I put these in the potting shed to protect them for the cold still to come or pile leaves over the top of them where they are outside? Decisions, decisions.....