Draw names. Keep it secret.
Secret Santa is a gift exchange where everyone secretly gives to one person. We run the whole thing: sign-ups, rules, a fair random draw, and a private email to every participant.
No accounts or passwords for anyone. The organizer never sees who drew whom.
Choose where you fit
I'm organizing a gift exchange
Create an exchange, set the rules, and share one link or QR code with your group.
Start an exchangeI already started one
Lost your private organizer page? Enter the email you started with and we'll send the link again.
Find my organizer linkI've been invited
Join with the pass code you were given. Already drawn and can't find your email? Get your match again.
Your gift exchange, organized without the spreadsheet
Secret Santa works when the draw is fair and the secret holds. Doing it by hand means a hat, a group chat, and one person who knows everything.
This service replaces all of it. You set the ground rules, people sign up themselves, and when you close sign-up every participant gets an email telling them who they're buying for, with the budget, shopping rules and their person's gift ideas right there.
Create it
Name the exchange and set a budget range, favourite stores, a theme, the date and place, and any other rules.
Share it
Send the link, show the QR code on screen or on paper, or read out the pass code. People join until you say stop.
Close and draw
One click draws names and emails everyone, in the design you chose. If an email goes missing, guests can ask for it again.
Everything a gift exchange needs
Rules everyone sees
Budget range and currency, where to shop, theme, date and place, and free-form rules. Guests read them before joining, and they're repeated in every match email.
Three ways to join
A shareable link, a QR code you can download or print, or a short pass code like COCOA-4172 that's easy to say out loud. Rotate the code any time to lock strangers out.
A fair, private draw
Names are drawn at random on the server. Nobody gets themselves, and the draw is built so two people never end up buying for each other unless your rules leave no other option.
Pairs who skip each other
Keep partners, housemates or anyone else from drawing one another. We check that a valid draw exists before sending anything.
Gift ideas built in
Guests add likes, sizes and allergies on their own private page, and whoever draws them sees it in the match email. Want a pure surprise? Turn it off for the exchange.
Lost emails handled
Guests can request their match again themselves. Organizers see delivery status for everyone, can fix a mistyped address and resend in one click.
Planning a gift exchange?
Practical guides on rules, budgets and etiquette, whether you're drawing names or playing White Elephant.
- How to organize a Secret Santa, step by step
The order to do things in, from the guest list to the reveal, so nobody is confused on the day.
- Secret Santa rules: the classic rules and how to adapt them
The classic rules, why they exist, and the house rules that stop arguments before they start.
- White Elephant rules: how the game works, from setup to the last steal
How to play, how stealing works, and the rules to agree on before the first gift is opened.
- Secret Santa or White Elephant: how to choose
Two very different games with similar seasons. Here is how to choose the right one for your group.
- How to set a gift exchange budget (and what to do when people go over)
How to pick a number that feels fair to everyone, and what to do when someone ignores it.
Choose how the match email looks
Five designs, with a live preview while you set up and a test email to your own inbox before anything goes out. These are the real emails, shown with made-up names.
- Classic Red banner, green name card. Familiar and festive.
- Snowy night Deep navy with a frosty glow. Calm and a little magical.
- Minimal Plain, quiet and easy to read. Looks like a note from a friend.
- Playful Bright, loud and cheerful. Good for office and friend groups.
- Elegant Ivory paper, gold rules and serif type. Suits dinners and family gatherings.
Built so the secret stays secret
The organizer can't peek
Matches go only to the person they belong to. No screen shows who drew whom, including to the organizer.
No accounts
Nobody creates a password. Organizers and guests each get a private link that only they hold.
Delete it any time
One button removes the exchange, every name and email, and every match. Old exchanges are cleared automatically after the event.
Private pages stay private
Your group's names and email addresses are used to run your exchange and nothing else. Pages that show names, links or matches never load analytics, and we don't run ads. Our forms use Google reCAPTCHA to block bots (its script is loaded only when you start filling one in). Read the privacy page.
Questions
What is Secret Santa?
Secret Santa is a gift exchange. Every person is randomly assigned one other person to buy a gift for, and who gave what stays secret until the reveal. Groups usually agree on a budget so the gifts feel fair.
Do participants need an account?
No. Guests join with a link, a QR code or a short pass code, enter a name and email address, and confirm it with a 6-digit code we email them. Nobody creates a password. Each guest gets a private page where they can edit their gift ideas.
Can the organizer see who drew whom?
No. The draw happens on the server and each match goes straight to that person by email. The organizer sees who has signed up and whether each email was delivered, nothing more. That means the organizer can take part in their own exchange and be surprised too.
A guest lost their match email. What now?
They open "Get my match again", enter the exchange pass code and the email they signed up with, and we send it again. The organizer can also press "Send again" next to their name.
I started an exchange but lost my organizer link.
Choose "Find my organizer link" and enter the email address you started with. We email you a link for each exchange started from that address.
Can two people avoid drawing each other?
Yes. Add "can't draw each other" pairs, for example partners or housemates. They will never be matched in either direction. If your pairs make a valid draw impossible, we tell you before anything is sent.
What if someone joins late or drops out?
Until you end sign-up you can add or remove people. Every guest gets an email asking whether they want to take part, with Yes and Opt-out buttons, and you can see at a glance who is Enrolled, Not enrolled yet or Opted-out. Only people who said yes are drawn. Once names are drawn, sign-up is closed so the matches stay fair.
Can I change the rules after emails go out?
Yes. Update the rules at any time, then press "Email everyone again" so everyone sees the new details.
What happens to our data?
We use names and email addresses only to run your exchange. You can delete the whole exchange, matches included, with one button, and old exchanges are cleared automatically after the event. See the privacy page for details.
Ready to draw names?
Set up takes a few minutes, and your guests only need a link.