How to run a Secret Santa

Set a spending limit: agree on a budget before assigning names. Common amounts: $20–$25 for casual groups, $50 for close friends or colleagues.
Enter participant names: add everyone in the group. The tool will randomly assign each person a recipient they must buy a gift for.
Set exclusions if needed: spouses or partners typically should not draw each other. Use the exclusion feature to prevent any pair from being matched.
Generate assignments: each person’s assignment is shown privately. Share assignments via the reveal feature, email, or copy the result.
Plan a reveal date: at the exchange event, each participant gives their gift before revealing who their Secret Santa was.

Tips for remote or online groups

For geographically dispersed groups, set a shipping deadline 2–3 weeks before the reveal date.
Include a wish list or interests form when collecting names to help gifters choose something the recipient will actually like.
Set a theme (e.g., books only, homemade gifts, local products) to add creativity constraints and equalize perceived value.

Privacy

All assignments are generated entirely in your browser. No names, emails, or assignments are sent to or stored on any server. The results exist only in your browser session.

Exclusions and constraints

"Forbidden pairs" are pairs of participants who should not be assigned to each other. Common real-world use cases include couples (who typically exchange gifts separately), siblings in a family group, or pairs who were matched last year.

Under the hood, the assignment algorithm solves a bipartite graph matching problem: each participant must be mapped to exactly one other participant, with forbidden-pair edges removed from the graph. The tool uses a random permutation strategy with rejection sampling - if a generated assignment violates an exclusion, it tries again until a valid assignment is found.

Gift ideas by group type

Office ($20–$30): consumables work best - nice coffee, gourmet chocolates, a candle, or a desk plant. Avoid anything too personal.
Family ($30–$75): sentimental items, experience gifts (tickets, cooking classes), or hobby-specific gifts based on the recipient's interests.
Friend group ($25–$50): inside-joke items, experience gifts, or subscription boxes. A themed exchange (books only, board games only) simplifies decisions.

When an assignment is impossible

With too many exclusions, no valid assignment may exist. For example, if everyone in a 4-person group is excluded from everyone else, the algorithm cannot find any valid matching and will report an error. The fix is to reduce exclusions - typically keeping only the most important forbidden pairs (e.g., couples) and removing optional ones.