Secret Santa Ideas

A Secret Santa gift exchange is the highlight of any festive celebration. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Diwali, Hannukah, Kwanzaa or Eid al-Fitr, the joy of gift giving is what makes the occasion memorable.

Looking for Secret Santa gift ideas? Check out our gift finder to find the most popular gifts at the moment. You can easily filter for age, gender and budget to find the best Secret Santa gifts for your Secret Santa gift exchange.
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What is Secret Santa?

Every year millions of people around the world get together with their friends, family, classmates or coworkers to exchange gifts. One of the most popular ways to do this is with a Secret Santa gift exchange. This is the tradition of randomly assigning participants a person to buy or make a gift for. The identity of the gift giver remains a secret.

What are the Rules?

The rules of Secret Santa are simple: invite your group, agree on a budget and a gift exchange date and draw names. You can draw names from a hat, but it's much easier to draw names online. After the names have been drawn, it is time to buy each other gifts. If you use drawnames.com, each participant can create their own wish list online, making it that much easier to buy the perfect gift for your giftee. Once the gifts have been purchased and wrapped it is time to get together, celebrate and exchange the gifts. For more detailed rules about celebrating Secret Santa read What are the rules for Secret Santa.

Ready to organize your own Secret Santa gift exchange? Use our free Secret Santa Generator and invite your group to draw names online.
Draw Names Online

Secret Santa Ideas for Work or School

Want to celebrate Christmas at work or with your classmates? Consider hosting a Secret Santa office party or a Secret Santa for your class. Having a Secret Santa gift exchange at work or in the classroom is a fun way to celebrate the season. Wherever you hold it, a Secret Santa party gives everyone something to get excited about.

Secret Santa Ideas for Friends or Family

A Secret Santa gift exchange with friends or family is the perfect recipe for an evening filled with fun, laughter and happiness. As you know each other well, it's the easiest group to exchange gifts with! Start preparing for the joy of gift giving with your friends or family and invite them for a Secret Santa gift exchange.

Secret Santa Gift Ideas

Getting the perfect gift can be a challenge, but with our popular gift finder, the best ideas for your giftee are just a few clicks away. It will help you with your Secret Santa gift exchange, no matter your budget. Whether you're shopping for friends, family, classmates or colleagues, here are the best Secret Santa ideas for gifts they'll love.
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Fun Secret Santa Activities

Looking for more Secret Santa inspiration? Read our 10 best money-saving tips for the holiday season, and if you plan to celebrate Secret Santa remotely be sure to read our 10 fun activities you can do online during the holidays and 8 tips for touchless holiday celebrations. Want to add a fun spin to your gift exchange? Consider a White Elephant gift exchange, a party game where fun, impractical gifts are exchanged instead of requested gifts.

Online Secret Santa Generator

The easiest way to draw names is by using an online Secret Santa Generator like drawnames.com. Easily add group members, specify who shouldn’t draw whom, set the details of your gift exchange and invite your group via Messenger, email or a text message. Once the names have been drawn, every participant can create their own wish list online. Try it yourself!
Draw Names Online