Pick the template that fits your group, swap in your own names, dates, and amounts, and send it five or six weeks before the exchange so there's time to collect answers before the draw.
Six things every invitation needs
- The exchange date and place, with the weekday. “Thursday, December 17, after the team lunch” leaves less room for doubt than “before Christmas.”
- The budget and the currency. Give one amount in one currency, and enter the same amount and currency when you create the group: the generator has a budget field and one currency per group.
- A last day to join. Nobody can be added after the draw; a late joiner means a new group and new links for everyone.
- Wishlist ideas by the same day. Ask for two or three concrete ideas, so the wishlists are ready when people open their links.
- How the links arrive. Either you paste each private link into WhatsApp, Teams, or a direct message, or the site emails them. If you go with email, ask for the address people actually check.
- Pairing rules, if any. Exclusions keep couples or roommates from drawing each other, in both directions. “No mutual pairs” is on by default, so if Sarah draws Tom, Tom won't draw Sarah.
For the office
Post it in the team channel or send it by email.
Hi everyone, we're doing Secret Santa again this year.
Exchange: Thursday, December 17, after the team lunch, meeting room 3.
Budget: 10 euros per gift.
To join: reply here by Friday, November 20, with two or three gift ideas for your wishlist.
I'll run the draw on Monday, November 23, on secretsantaideas.com. It's free and nobody needs an account. Each of you gets a private link by email showing who you're buying for, their wishlist and interests, and gift ideas within the budget. I'm playing too: the site doesn't show me who drew whom.
There's no app to install, and everything is deleted 30 days after the exchange.
Office ground rules are on our Secret Santa rules page.
For the family chat
Spell out the couples rule, and offer email to anyone who'd rather not get the link in the chat.
Secret Santa on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24, at Mom's.
Everyone draws one name and buys one gift, 25 euros, instead of buying for everyone. Kids under 12 aren't in the draw; we'll handle their presents separately.
Tell me by Sunday, November 29, if you're in, and send two or three gift ideas. Couples won't draw each other. On December 1, I'll message each of you your own private link. Don't forward it or post it here. If you'd rather get it by email, send me your address.
If the kids want their own exchange, set them up as a separate group of at least 3 people.
For friends
Secret Santa at our place, Saturday, December 19, from 7 p.m. One gift each, 15 euros.
Say yes by Friday, December 4. After the draw nobody can be added, so a late yes means we redo it with new links for everyone. Send me a few things for your wishlist; “socks” doesn't count.
On the 5th, I'll message each of you your link.
For a team in several countries
Name one currency, give the rounded conversion once, and add a shipping deadline.
Hi team, Secret Santa is on: we open the gifts together on a video call on Wednesday, December 16, at 3 p.m. CET.
Budget: 15 euros, about 14 Swiss francs or 80 lei, shipping not included.
Join by: Friday, November 13, with two or three gift ideas for your wishlist. If you want the gift shipped to your home, add your postal address to those ideas so your Secret Santa sees it on their private link.
Ship your gift by: Monday, December 7, so it arrives in time across borders.
I'll run the draw on Monday, November 16, and the site will email your private link. Check your spam folder if nothing shows up by the 17th.
Our virtual Secret Santa page covers the video call itself.
Gift ideas to suggest in the invitation
Add one line of examples so nobody leaves their wishlist empty. For a 10-euro office exchange, something like “a bag of loose-leaf tea, a small succulent, a gel pen”:
For a family draw that replaces buying for everyone, suggest something the whole household can use:
For friends, music or a bit of self-care:
More office ideas are on our coworker gifts page.
The message that goes with the links
Send it to each person privately, together with their link.
The draw is done. Your private link is below (or in your inbox from secretsantaideas.com). Open it to see who you're buying for, their wishlist, and gift ideas within the 10-euro budget. Don't tell anyone who you got. Lost your link? Message me and I'll resend it.
The reminder
If you gave the site everyone's email address, it sends an automatic reminder five days before the exchange. Each person gets at most three emails: the invitation, one resend, and that reminder. Send your own message a day or two before, for the practical details:
Reminder: Secret Santa is on Thursday. Bring your gift wrapped, with only your person's name on the tag, not yours. If it's running late, tell me privately, not in the group.
If someone wants to join after the draw
“Draw again” won't help: it reshuffles the same people, keeps the same links, and works only until the first person opens theirs. Create a new group in the Secret Santa generator with everyone, send the new links with a one-line note that the old ones no longer count, and delete the old group.