Secret Santa rules
What are the rules for Secret Santa?
Secret Santa is a Christmas tradition in which each participant is randomly assigned someone to whom they give a gift. Already familiar with Secret Santa? Invite your friends or family to draw names online for a Secret Santa gift exchange.
Start Drawing Names
How to organize a Secret Santa gift exchange
Want to organize a Secret Santa gift exchange? These are the rules:
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Writing down the names
Have everyone taking part in the Secret Santa celebration write their name down on a piece of paper.
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Making Wish Lists
Ask everyone to write down two or three presents they would like to get. Also ask them to be as specific as possible. Just “scarf” might not get you the scarf you actually want. But “blue wool scarf” might.
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Draw names together
Then, the most fun part! It's time for the draw. Get everyone to put their name into a hat, a bowl or a basket. Let every player draw a paper, one by one. Make sure people don’t see each other’s papers.
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Set a date for the gift exchange
Pick a date when everyone is available for the gift exchange.
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The celebration
When you come together on the day of the actual celebration, make sure that everyone’s gift has a tag with their giftee’s name.
Draw names online
The easiest way to organize your Secret Santa gift exchange is to draw names online. There’s no risk of drawing yourself and there are no slips of paper to lose. You can even buy your Christmas gifts online right after the draw.Draw Names Online
The best Secret Santa gifts
Looking for good Christmas gift ideas? Our gift finder is packed with great Secret Santa gifts. Easily filter on age, sex, budget and categories to find the most popular Secret Santa gifts for anyone.
Secret Santa Gift Ideas