What is Secret Santa?
Secret Santa is a gift exchange tradition where participants are randomly assigned another person to give a gift to — while keeping their own identity secret until the reveal. It's popular at Christmas, office parties, friend groups, and family gatherings worldwide.
The game is also known as Kris Kringle in Australia and Ireland, and Wichteln in Germany.
Secret Santa Rules
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Set a budget. Agree on a spending limit upfront — typically $20–$50 for most groups.
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Draw names. Each person is randomly assigned one other participant to buy for. With Elfster, this happens automatically and anonymously online.
- 3
Share wishlists. Participants optionally share gift preferences, a wishlist, or fill out a short questionnaire to help their gift-giver.
- 4
Buy the gift. Purchase something within the agreed budget that your person would love.
- 5
Exchange gifts. Gifts are exchanged at a party or event. The giver is revealed and everyone gets a moment of surprise.
Skip the hat — Elfster draws names automatically and notifies everyone privately. Free.
Start Your Secret Santa Free →How to Do Secret Santa Online
Online Secret Santa exchanges are perfect for remote teams, families spread across cities, or anyone who wants to skip the hat-drawing chaos. Here's how to do it with Elfster's free Secret Santa generator:
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Go to elfster.com/secret-santa/ and create a new exchange.
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Give it a name, set a budget, and pick an exchange date.
- 3
Invite participants by sharing a link or entering email addresses.
- 4
Everyone joins and fills out their wishlist and gift preferences.
- 5
Elfster automatically draws names and notifies each person privately.
- 6
Browse your person's wishlist and find the perfect gift on Elfster's Secret Santa gift guide.
Your group is ready — create your exchange and send invites in under 2 minutes.
Create Your Exchange on Elfster →How to Do Secret Santa at Work
Office Secret Santa follows the same rules but with a few considerations: keep the budget modest ($20–$30), choose work-appropriate gifts, and use Elfster's office gift exchange guide for ideas that won't land you in HR. The Secret Santa questionnaire is especially useful for colleagues who don't know each other well.
Secret Santa Gift Ideas
Stuck on what to get? Browse these curated guides on Elfster: