How to run a Secret Santa
· 2 min read
Secret Santa is simple: everyone draws one name and buys that person a gift. Running it well comes down to a few choices made early. Here they are, in order.
The rules
- Each person is assigned one other person to buy for, and keeps it secret.
- Everyone sticks to the same spending limit.
- Nobody draws themself, and partners usually do not draw each other.
- Gifts are swapped on one agreed date, and the giver can stay anonymous or reveal themselves.
A timeline that works
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 4 weeks before | Pick the date and the spending limit. Invite everyone. |
| 3 weeks before | Close joining, check every wish list is filled in, then draw names. |
| 2 weeks before | Buy, and post anything that has to travel. |
| Exchange day | Swap gifts. Guess who had whom, if your group likes that part. |
Setting the spending limit
Pick a number everyone can afford without thinking about it, then state it as a limit rather than a target. In an office, $20 to $30 is common. Families often go higher. Say whether postage counts, and agree that going under is fine.
Drawing names
A hat works until someone draws themself or their partner and the whole group re-draws. Online, a Secret Santa generator handles both. Humbugg also sends each person their match privately, so nobody has to see the list.
Create the exchange
Name, spending limit and date. You get one invitation link.
Share it
Everyone joins in their browser and adds a wish list.
Add exclusions
Pairs who should not draw each other.
Draw
Each person sees only the name they drew.
Keeping it a secret
The giveaway is usually a question. Asking someone’s shoe size in the group chat, two weeks before Christmas, tells everyone who has them. In Humbugg the giver asks in an anonymous chat, and the recipient sees only “Your Secret Santa”.