How to run a virtual or remote gift exchange
For a remote gift exchange, draw names three to four weeks ahead, set a posting deadline, keep addresses private, consider digital gifts, and hold an optional reveal on video.
A gift exchange doesn't need everyone in one room. Remote teams and families spread across cities and countries run exchanges every year. They just need a bit more planning, mostly around shipping, addresses and timing. Here's how to make it work.
Choose a format that works at a distance
- Secret Santa is the easiest to run remotely. Names are drawn, gifts are sent by post or delivered digitally, and everyone opens them on a video call or in their own time.
- White Elephant can work too, but it needs everyone on a call at the same time. See the notes at the end of this guide.
If you're not sure, our guide to choosing between them can help.
Start earlier than you think
Shipping is the hard part of a remote exchange. Draw names at least three to four weeks before the date, and set a posting deadline, not only an opening date. Add a margin for delays, particularly in the busiest season of the year. If anyone is in a different country, add more.
Keep addresses private
You need a delivery address for each recipient, and you don't want to broadcast them. A few options:
- Ask each person to send their address privately to whoever is buying for them. The organizer can introduce them after the draw if everyone agrees.
- Use a central address for the group, such as an office, and distribute gifts from there.
- Choose digital gifts, which need no address at all.
Whichever you choose, don't post addresses in a group chat. This site doesn't collect or share addresses, so you'll need to agree on a method for that part.
International exchanges
If people live in different countries, you have extra things to think about: shipping costs and time, customs and import rules, and whether a gift can be sent at all, particularly food. Keep the limit realistic once shipping is included, and consider restricting each exchange to people in the same country or region.
Digital and low-effort gifts
If shipping isn't practical, there are good options:
- E-gift cards for a shop, a coffee place or a streaming service.
- A subscription to something they'll enjoy.
- A book or audiobook delivered by email.
- A donation to a charity in their name.
- A shared experience, such as an online class or a tasting you do together.
Plan across time zones
Pick a time for the reveal that doesn't ask anyone to join at midnight. If the group spans many time zones, run two short sessions or make the reveal optional and asynchronous.
Make the reveal work on video
- Opening gifts one at a time works for a small group. Everyone watches and guesses the giver.
- A short clue from each giver can be shared before the opening to keep it playful.
- Ask everyone to open a gift on camera and then say thank you in the chat.
- Keep the call short. People get tired on video, and a lively 30 minutes beats a long one.
Running a virtual White Elephant
It needs a few changes:
- Gifts are digital or listed. Each person adds a gift, such as an e-gift card or a subscription, to a shared list with a short description, hidden or revealed as you choose.
- Numbers set the order. Draw them with a random picker and share the list.
- Steal rules are the same. Say the steal limit before you begin. See the White Elephant rules.
- Someone tracks the board on a shared screen, so everyone can see who holds what.
- Gifts are delivered afterwards by the person who added them.
Frequently asked questions
How early should we draw names for a remote exchange?
At least three to four weeks before the opening date, and longer for international gifts. Include a deadline for posting and not only one for opening.
What if a gift doesn't arrive?
Have a plan. The giver can send a small replacement or a digital gift, and the group can be relaxed about it. See when things go wrong.
Do we need everyone on the same call?
Not for a Secret Santa. Gifts can be opened in private, and a call can be an optional extra.
Keep reading
- How to run an office gift exchange that everyone is comfortable with
Keeping a workplace exchange optional, inclusive and low-pressure, with a sensible budget.
- 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.
- 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.