How to do Secret Santa with your family
To do Secret Santa with your family, agree a budget, list who is in, stop households drawing each other, draw the names, and set the swap date.
The free Secret Santa generator handles the draw with no email and no sign-up. For anything else that needs a fair pick, use Draw names. Stuck for a gift? See Secret Santa gift ideas by budget.
What rules do most families use?
- One budget for everyone, agreed before the draw. £5, £10 and £20 are common.
- Each person buys for one person, and keeps it secret until the swap.
- No one draws their own name, and people in the same household do not draw each other.
- A short wish list of two or three ideas, if the family likes them.
- One swap date that everyone knows.
How do you stop couples or households drawing each other?
Put people who live together in the same household when you set up the draw. The free generator then never pairs two people from the same household. If you draw names from a hat, you can only do this by redrawing, and then someone usually guesses.
How do you do it when people live in different places?
Add a posting date a week or so before the swap date, so gifts arrive in time. Each person posts their gift to the person they drew. Open them together when you meet, or on a video call.
How do you include children?
Young children can join with a grown-up helping them choose and wrap. Some families run a separate draw for the children with a smaller budget, so the gifts suit them. Children who can read can open the link and see their own name.
What if someone drops out?
If it is before the draw, take their name off. If it is after, the simplest fix is for the person who drew them to buy for the dropped-out person's match instead. If that gets complicated, start a new draw and send the new link.
How do you do Secret Santa without anyone's email?
Use the free Secret Santa generator. You type the names, set the households, budget and date, and share one link in the family chat. Each person picks their own name to see who they have. Nobody needs an email address or an account, and the group is deleted 60 days after the swap date.
Frequently asked questions
How many people do you need for Secret Santa?
Three is the smallest group that works, because with two each person knows who has them. Most family draws have between five and fifteen people.
Can we do Secret Santa without anyone's email?
Yes. The free Secret Santa generator makes one link for the family chat. Each person opens it, picks their own name and sees who they are buying for. There is no email and no sign-up.
What if we live in different places?
Agree a posting date as well as a swap date, and have each person post their gift straight to the person they drew. Then open them together on a video call.
Keep reading
Haevn keeps the whole family's plans in one place
The calendar, lists, meals and jobs, shared by everyone at home. 14 days free, no card needed. Then £6.99 a month or £69.99 a year.
Start your free 14-day trial