Creating a Secret Santa Questionnaire: Where To Collect Wishes for Easy Gift Giving

Secret Santa is all about showing care, attention, and kindness. Since the game centers on exchanging gifts, none of that is possible without considering the recipient’s interests.

To bring joy instead of disappointment, Santas need help choosing the right gift. That’s why questionnaires exist — no one can read minds, and when it comes to gifts, opinions differ.

A questionnaire removes the guesswork. It gives Santas clear guidance, making them more confident, while recipients end up happier with gifts that match their wishes. Let’s see how to create a questionnaire for in-person and online Secret Santa games.

What Is a Secret Santa Questionnaire?

A questionnaire is a short form with key questions that participants answer before the game. Its purpose is to quickly learn the recipient’s preferences—what they like and dislike. The questions can be direct, but they can also be playful or mysterious to keep the fun alive.

There are two main types of questionnaires:

• Paper questionnaire — the classic method, perfect for in-person Secret Santa games with slips of paper. Players fill out questionnaires and hand them to the organizer. The only rule is to keep answers secret to save the mystery of the game.
• Online questionnaire — a modern digital option. It’s ideal for remote work teams, friends, or families living in different cities. Online tools (like the MySanta app) collect answers and keep wishlists confidential, ensuring that only the assigned Santa can view them. This format is becoming more popular every year, just as electric cars are gradually replacing gas-powered engines.

Also Read:

Free Printable Secret Santa Questionnaire for a Fun Gift Exchange

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Who Needs a Questionnaire and Why

A Secret Santa questionnaire helps exchange personalized gifts even if participants don't know each other well. It makes the game more enjoyable and benefits everyone:

• The organizer — the questionnaire ensures players won’t be disappointed with gifts and helps avoid awkward situations. Even if someone is unhappy, the organizer can quickly identify why, since the gift wishes have been recorded. In online games, wishlists are always accessible, and the organizer can follow up easily.
• Secret Santa — no more uncertainty. Instead of guessing or worrying about whether the gift will be right, each Santa can confidently choose a it based on the recipient’s wishes.
• The recipient — players get something they actually wanted, or at least something useful. Instead of a random item grabbed on the way through the mall, the person will receive a thoughtful and useful gift that brings genuine joy. After all, isn’t it the point of playing Secret Santa?

How To Create a Questionnaire for Secret Santa?

You can download a universal printable Secret Santa questionnaire from our website or use the one you've found online. Yet, if you want to create your own questionnaire, follow these simple tips:

1. Keep it short. Your friends or coworkers don't want to fill out a long survey. Limit it to 5–7 key questions to keep it lighthearted.
2. Combine practical questions with emotional ones. For example, don’t just ask “What would you like to get as a gift?” Instead, ask “What childhood gift did you appreciate most?” It’s especially enjoyable to share personal stories when you know that your Secret Santa will later read them carefully.
3. Offer sample answers. This helps participants navigate the questionnaire easily and respond faster.
4. Respect privacy. Some people don’t want to share personal details. Keep questions gift-focused, not too intimate.
5. Think about design. For a paper questionnaire, use a large, readable font. Visually separate sections and questions, and start each new thought from a fresh paragraph. For an online form, also create a clear structure: highlight headings and add explanations or examples beneath the response fields.
6. Keep it clear. Don’t leave vague wording or hope that participants will figure things out on their own. Lack of clarity in the form will create lots of follow-up questions, slow down the game, and spoil the fun for everyone.

Examples of Questions To Include

Here’s a table with useful categories and sample questions:

Encourage participants to answer honestly but also with a playful touch. The goal is to make it easy for their Santa to choose something thoughtful while keeping the spirit of surprise alive.

Where and How To Collect Participants’ Answers

Creating a questionnaire and handing it out to the participants is only half the work. You also need to compile the information, distribute it to each Santa, and answer questions that come up along the way.

There are several ways to collect responses from Secret Santa players.

Google Forms

A free way to collect gift wishes — including your own. You create a form and send it to all participants via a link. You can set different response formats, allow image uploads (like in a wishlist), and add clarifications under each question. All responses are automatically gathered in the organizer’s account, and no one else can see them.

Cons: The organizer has to manually manage privacy and distribute responses to each Santa to save the mystery.

Paper Questionnaires

A great option for an in-person game. Print out beautiful questionnaires, just like in childhood. Each participant fills them out by hand, keeping their identity secret until the end of the game. The organizer collects all questionnaires immediately after they’re filled, so no one sees anyone else’s answers.

Cons: Preparing the forms takes time, and anonymity during filling depends entirely on trust. Plus, participants can’t take the form home to think longer, since that could cause mix-ups.

The MySanta Service

This is the most convenient way to automate collecting wishes and simplify the game. After registering on the service and joining the game, each participant automatically gets a personal profile with fields like “What would you like to receive from Santa?” and “What not to give you for Christmas?”

After the draw, each Santa gets access to this information and can prepare a gift that truly matches the recipient’s wishes.To make it even easier, participants can add links to items from marketplaces such as Amazon or any other online store.

Cons: None found.

Conclusion

Secret Santa is about more than gifts — it’s about creating warmth and connection. A simple questionnaire makes the game smoother, reduces stress, and ensures every participant feels seen.

With a few thoughtful questions, you turn Secret Santa from a random guessing game into a truly personal celebration where both Santas and recipients leave with smiles.

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