Playing Secret Santa in Your Neighborhood: How to Make It Memorable

Organizing the holiday festivities in your neighborhood is a great way to celebrate the Christmas season. Include the Secret Santa gift exchange in your festivities, as this game combines the joy of giving and the element of mystery, as nobody knows who gives a present to whom! Plus, it is a great way to learn more about your neighbors and save on Christmas presents.

Here’s how to organize a fun gift exchange in your neighborhood and what to keep in mind to keep things running smoothly.

Secret Santa rules with your neighbors

Invite participants early

Start the preparation early so that people have enough time to buy presents and prepare without fuss. Ideally, you should invite people to the game in October. Ask around if your neighbors want to join the festivities. You can talk to them in person, create a Facebook group, or distribute flyers. Make sure to explain the rules to everyone so that everyone knows what the game entails, exactly (you can reference them to our Secret Santa rules).

If you have many people wishing to participate, it is easier to get started with a Secret Santa organizer. You can invite people to our MySanta app where they can sign up, share their gift preferences and see to whom they’re giving a gift.

Also Read:

White Elephant Gift Exchange Ideas & Game Rules

Read

Set the Secret Santa rules

The great thing about Secret Santa is that you can adjust the game to suit the preferences of your group. The first thing you’ll want to do is to keep a reasonable budget. Setting the budget is essential, as it keeps the game equal. It helps avoid situations when one guest gets a nice expensive gift and the other…well, something less desirable. A good budget is between $10 to $25.

Next, you can set a gift theme. This is optional, but it can make the game more fun and makes choosing gifts easier. For example, you can give home décor, tech gifts, self-care items, practical presents, or get creative and exchange handmade gifts.

Also Read:

How to play Secret Santa with a family: A complete guide

Read

Draw names

Now, it’s time to decide who gives a present to whom. The traditional way to find out is to draw names from the hat randomly. Yet, this method has its downsides – people can lose the paper with a name and forget to whom they should buy a gift. Moreover, it’s next to impossible to guess what the person would like to get.

It’s more convenient to use an online Secret Santa generator. Here’s how to use our MySanta organizer to draw names quickly:

1. Sign up for the app. Once you create a new game, you can invite people by email or send them the link. The number of players is not limited.
2. When everyone joins the game, draw names and each neighbor will see to whom they should buy a gift.
3. Each player can add a personal wishlist with gift ideas to make it easier for their Santa to choose a perfect gift.
4. If some people in your community don’t get along well, you can set exceptions so that they don’t give a present to each other.
5. The game organizer can track gift progress. You can see who bought a present and who hasn’t so that everyone gets a gift and no one is left out.

Try our MySanta app

You can create wishlists, add exclusions, and communicate with your gifree secretly. Moreover, there is an option to track gifts and ensure that everyone buys a present on time.

Start

Create wishlists

In our MySanta app, players can share what they’d like to get and even create personal wishlists. People can add links to gifts within the agreed budget. It relieves the stress of giving for each Secret Santa, as players can see what exactly their giftee wants and make them happier by bringing a perfect gift.

This is especially helpful when neighbors don’t know each other well, as you don’t have to guess or bring something useless. You can also set the gift theme, be it homemade gifts, gag gifts, practical presents, or board games. 

Time to celebrate!

Now, the most interesting part! Set the date when everyone will exchange those gifts. You can leave gifts at the doorsteps or plan the gift exchange party when everyone will open their presents and guess the giver.

If you plan to get together to unwrap gifts, plan other activities to keep everyone entertained and make the gift exchange truly memorable.

Organize a separate Secret Santa for kids

Secret Santa is a family-friendly game, so keep the little ones involved, too! Organize a Secret Santa for kids separately to exchange small gifts like holiday crafts, toys, books, or cards. It will help them get busy and learn the joy of giving.

What to give your neighbor for Secret Santa

When not sure about what to give to your neighbor for Secret Santa, consider these classical neighbor gifts:

1. Christmas sweet treats
2. Family-friendly board games
3. Warm blankets and scarves
4. Scented or decorative candles
5. Gift baskets with sweets, snacks, or coffee/tea
6. Personalized ornaments
7. Potted or garden plants
8. Local delicacies
9. Gift cards

Secret Santa is a simple and fun way to exchange gifts with your neighbors and strengthen bonds with those living next door to you. Plus, you can turn it into a heartwarming tradition that everyone will look forward to every year! With the MySanta generator, you can organize everything without fuss and make sure that everyone receives a present.

FAQs