Secret Santa generator
Secret Santa, Amigo Invisible, Amigo Secreto or gift exchange: the name changes by country, but the problem is always the same. Someone has to run the draw, and that person ends up knowing more than they should.
Drawing names by hand has three problems
The first is logistics: everyone has to be in the same place at the same time, which with large families or work teams almost never happens.
The second is that whoever hands out the slips usually ends up excluded from the draw, or accidentally sees a match.
The third is repetition: with no record of previous years, it is common for the same person to draw the same name twice in a row.
How an online draw fixes it
- •Everyone gets a private link: nobody sees the full list, not even the organizer.
- •Exclusions are set once and the algorithm respects them every time.
- •Nobody needs to be in the same room: notifications go out by email and WhatsApp.
- •Each person's wishlist travels with their link, so gifts land better.
How many people do I need
It works from three people, but it gets interesting from five or six upwards: the more participants, the less predictable the result.
In groups under four with couple exclusions, the draw can become mathematically impossible. When that happens the tool tells you instead of handing back an invalid assignment.
When to run it
The practical advice is to draw names two to three weeks before the exchange. That leaves time to shop without panic and keeps people from forgetting who they got.
If it is a work group, agree the budget at the same time as the draw: that is the number one source of awkwardness when someone spends far more than everyone else.
Frequently asked questions
Organizing the draw this year?
Add your list, set the exclusions and let everyone get their own secret link. Free, and no sign-up to get started.