How to Run a Secret Santa in 10 Minutes (Remote, Office or Family)

Minute 1 to 2: decide the basics

Write three lines and send them to the group:

1. The budget, such as "$20 to $25, including tax."
2. The exchange date, and the date when names will be drawn.
3. The tone: serious and useful, funny or handmade.

A clear budget range, not a single number, avoids awkwardness; people can then buy a $20 gift or a $25 gift without feeling that they are under- or over-spending. For offices, check whether your workplace has a gift policy.

Minute 3 to 4: collect the names

Ask each person for a first name, and optionally a few interests, sizes and a wish-list link. Leave out street addresses unless people are shipping gifts to one another. For remote groups, you will need an address only for the match, and it is better to ask for it privately.

If participants are couples or roommates, decide whether they may draw one another. Most groups exclude partners, since the point of the exchange is to buy for someone new.

Minute 5 to 6: draw fairly (Secret Santa with exclusions)

The classic way is to put names in a hat. It works for a small group in a room, but it needs a redraw if someone picks their own name, and it requires a trusted person to check for problems. A computer draw is quicker and handles exclusions. The condition a valid draw must meet is called a derangement: nobody draws themselves, and every person gives exactly one gift and receives exactly one. Constraints, such as no partner pairs, reduce the number of possible draws, and with a small group some rules cannot all be met at once. For example, in a group of three with two partners excluded from each other, no valid draw exists.

Our free Secret Santa generator draws a valid pairing, with exclusions, and tells you if it is impossible. It offers two modes: an instant draw in your browser that stores nothing on a server, and a group mode in which each person gets a private link to see only their own match.

Minute 7 to 8: share matches privately (remote Secret Santa)

The biggest mistake is announcing the draw in a group chat. Everyone sees everything, and the secret is gone. Better options are individual messages or a private link for each person. In the group mode of our tool, the organizer cannot see who drew whom unless they are also a participant, so even the person running the draw can be surprised.

Minute 9 to 10: set the final details

Add the following to your announcement:

• A hint thread. Give people a place to ask anonymous questions, or let our tool's anonymous note feature pass a question to a match.
• A return policy. Remind givers to include a gift receipt for anything that might need an exchange.
• A backup plan. Name one person who will step in if someone cannot attend.

Common problems and fixes

Gift ideas at common price points

At $10, think of a candy cane and cocoa mug set, a pack of playing cards or a succulent. At $20 to $25, consider a cozy throw, a candle, a puzzle or a tumbler. At $30 to $50, books, a board game or an insulated bottle all work. For more, see our Secret Santa gift guide, and use the gift finder to filter by price and interest. If the exchange is part of a bigger plan, how to set a Christmas budget shows how to fit it in.

Privacy matters

Any tool that handles names deserves scrutiny. Ours asks for first names only, does not collect email addresses and deletes group data after 120 days. We describe exactly what is stored in our privacy policy. Whichever tool you use, avoid entering last names, addresses or phone numbers unless you need them.