Secret Santa — how it works
In Secret Santa everyone secretly buys a gift for one other person in the group. Nobody knows who gave what until the reveal. Here's how to set it up in fifteen minutes.
What Secret Santa is
Everyone in the group is drawn a recipient and buys one gift for that person within a shared price cap. The gifts stay anonymous until the reveal — the secrecy is what makes it fun.
Compared with everyone buying for everyone: one gift per person instead of ten, less stress and more thought per present.
How to run it, step by step
Secret Santa with family
Set a low price cap so kids can join, and use the clue variant: everyone writes an anonymous clue about their gift, read aloud before the present is opened. It stretches the best part of the evening from three minutes to an hour.
Secret Santa at work
Agree a cap and a theme in advance, keep it inclusive, and set a clear deadline for gifts. Run the reveal at lunch or at the party and read the clues off the big screen.
Secret Santa remotely
Draw names digitally, ship gifts straight to the recipient and open them together on a video call. The host shares their screen and reads one clue at a time.
Price cap and timeline
- Price cap: pick one amount, not a range.
- Draw names 2–4 weeks ahead so people have time to shop.
- Gift deadline: the day before.
- Clues submitted: by the morning of the reveal.
Five steps to a great Secret Santa
- 1Gather the groupDecide who's in and when you'll reveal the gifts.
- 2Set the price capOne shared amount so nobody feels stingy or excessive.
- 3Draw recipientsDraw digitally to avoid drawing yourself or your partner.
- 4Buy and wrapAnonymous package, no recipient on the tag.
- 5Reveal togetherRead the clue, guess the giver, open the gift.
Frequently asked questions
Set up your Secret Santa now
Free, no account. Create the group, share the code and collect everyone's anonymous clues.