Secret Santa Generator

How to run a Secret Santa draw

1. List everyone taking part, one name per line. Use last initials if two people share a name (Sam P. and Sam K.).
2. Add rules if you need them. Couples, housemates or last year's pairs can be kept apart. “Both ways” blocks the pair in each direction; untick it for a one-way rule, such as “Alex can't draw Jordan again this year”.
3. Add details such as the budget, exchange date and a short note. They appear on every reveal card.
4. Draw names, then send each person their own link. Opening the link shows a card with a reveal button, so they only see who they are buying for.

How the draw works

Nobody can draw themselves, and nobody is drawn twice: every person gives exactly one gift and receives exactly one. The tool shuffles with your browser's cryptographic random number generator and keeps shuffling until the result follows every rule, so each valid set of matches is equally likely. If your rules are extremely tight, it switches to a systematic search, which can also prove that no valid draw exists.

When the rules make a draw impossible, you get a plain-English reason instead of an endless spinner. For example: “Ann and Ben can only draw from Dan between them: 2 people but only 1 possible match”. Remove one of the rules mentioned and draw again.

• No swaps stops two people from drawing each other (A buys for B and B buys for A), which some groups find too easy to guess.
• One big circle links everyone in one chain (A → B → C → … → A). It is handy when gifts are opened in turn, because each person unwraps and then gives next.

Private links instead of emails

Most Secret Santa sites need everyone's email address and send the results from their servers. Here there are no accounts and no emails. Each link carries one person's match in the part of the web address after the #, which browsers don't send to the website's server, so the match stays between you and them. The match is scrambled so you won't see it by accident while copying the link. It isn't encrypted, though, so if you are taking part, don't peek at other people's links.

Your draw is saved in this browser so you can come back to resend a link. If you change the list after drawing, the tool warns you to draw again so nobody ends up with an outdated link.

Printable fold cards for in-person draws

Prefer paper? Fold cards makes a PDF with one strip per person. The name goes on the outside, the match hides inside behind a striped flap that stops the text showing through, and you hand the folded cards out at the party.

Tips for a smooth gift exchange

• Set a clear budget and date so gifts feel even and nobody is caught out.
• Ask everyone for a wish list or a few likes and dislikes, and share it in your group chat.
• Keep a backup: download the links file in case someone loses theirs.
• For a white elephant twist, use the wheel spinner to set the order of play. Hosting the party too? Make holiday bingo cards, print a calendar for the countdown, or plan the meal with the turkey calculator.