A Secret Santa with no account and no email addresses
Most Secret Santa generators ask you to create an account, then collect everyone’s email address. Here, first names are all you need. Our server makes the draw the moment you press the button, and each person gets their own private link, which you send wherever you like: in a WhatsApp group chat, by text message, on Messenger. Nobody has anything to install: the page opens right in the phone’s browser.
Couples who can’t draw each other
In the exclusions section, pick two names: those two people will never land on each other. It’s handy for couples, who already buy each other a present, for siblings who seem to draw each other every year, or for two coworkers who share a desk. The site looks for a draw that respects every rule; if that’s impossible (three people including a couple, for example), it tells you right away and explains what to change.
From four people up, the draw also avoids two-way swaps, where Emma buys for Jake and Jake buys for Emma: the surprise lasts until the very end.
The organizer can play too
Your organizer page shows everyone’s link and who has opened theirs, never who is buying for whom. So you can play like everyone else: send yourself your own link and open only that one. If someone loses their link, you can resend it from your page in two taps.
Someone forgot? Redo the draw, the links stay
A cousin joins at the last minute, or a coworker can’t make the office party anymore: add or remove names and redo the draw. People already in the exchange keep their link and their wish list, newcomers get a link to send, and everyone finds out again who they’re buying for.
A wish list, so nobody gets a fifth scented candle
Each participant can jot down a few ideas on their page: a sweater size, a book, a favorite snack, or what they really don’t want. Only the person who drew them can read it. For inspiration, our guide to gift ideas by budget has ideas at $10, $20 and $30 (roughly £10, £15 and £25 in the UK), from stocking stuffers to the one gift that steals the show.
And after the party?
The Secret Santa, its names and its wish lists are deleted automatically 60 days after the exchange date. To plan the party itself (budget, rules, an exchange with family who live far away), read our guide to running a Secret Santa that works. And on the night of the exchange, to decide who opens their gift first, pick a random order.