How To Organize Secret Santa in a Small Group & Keep It Fun
People often play Secret Santa with coworkers, friends, or student groups. In large groups, it's easier to keep the mystery. Yet, the game can be just as exciting in a small group if you use a little creativity.
Here are ideas on how to enhance your Secret Santa exchange and create joyful anticipation when you have less than 10 participants.
5 Reasons To Play Secret Santa With a Small Group
Don’t put off the game just because your group is small. First, there are many ways to add variety and strengthen the intrigue. Second, playing in a small company has its own advantages:
- People feel less shy — in a close circle, everyone is more relaxed, especially if it’s friends or family. You can allow silly jokes and genuine emotions.
- Easier to organize— gathering opinions from 10 people is far simpler than from 30. Important details can be settled in person, and bringing everyone together isn’t difficult.
- Personalized gifts — in small groups, people usually know each other well. Instead of generic surprises, you can choose something truly meaningful.
- Added excitement — with fewer participants, every phrase or glance becomes a clue.
- Cozy atmosphere — a small group naturally creates intimacy, and exchanging gifts feels like a warm holiday celebration.
How To Make the Draw Fun and Reliable
The classic way is to write names on pieces of paper and draw them from the Santa’s hat or box. This method is simple and clear, but it requires preparation, and if someone pulls their own name you need to redraw.
We’ve gathered three alternative options to spice up the first stage and make matching more reliable.
Draw With Challenges
Turn drawing names into a little quest. The organizer can do the draw in advance and create clues related to each recipient. These could be a set of memes, coordinates of a place associated with the person, a riddle, or something else. While it requires extra prep, the game will be unforgettable and bring plenty of excitement.
Use the MySanta Service
To organize the draw quickly, use an online Secret Santa generator. The My Santa app lets you assign Secret Santas in a few clicks: create a game, enter participant names, and send them personal links with their results.
Along with a fast draw, the service offers extra features:
- Add exclusions — for example, prevent last year’s pairs from repeating.
- View the recipient’s wishlist — every Santa can pick a gift that suits the recipient.
- Track game progress — the organizer can see if everyone has prepared surprises so no one is left without a gift.
- Play using a Telegram bot — all stages are at your fingertips in a messenger.
This way, no one in the group has to serve only as organizer — the service takes care of the heavy lifting, and everyone gets to enjoy the game.
Fortune Cookies
Add a playful twist with fortune cookies. Instead of traditional fortunes, slip names inside and let participants choose a cookie one by one. That way, luck determines who becomes whose Santa, and the process itself turns into a fun surprise.
What Gifts to Choose to Keep the Game Fun
In a small group, choosing gifts plays an important role. When everyone knows each other well, giving a mug or a candle can feel boring. That’s why it’s worth thinking through the rules and game themes in advance so that the exchange is meaningful and fun.
Use a Gift Theme
Make the classic Secret Santa more exciting by introducing a theme. A theme sets the tone for the entire game and turns the process of buying gifts into a creative search. Discuss what kind of gifts you’d like to exchange — something delicious, eco-friendly, practical, or simply funny. It’s best to choose a theme based on shared interests, which makes it easier to decide and ensures that gifts will truly be useful.
For your inspiration, we've gathered five theme ideas plus examples of gifts for each one.
| Theme | Gift Ideas |
|---|---|
| Eco-friendly | Reusable shopping tote, beeswax wraps, water bottle |
| Home comfort | Cozy slippers, tea, throw blanket, string lights for the home |
| Creativity | DIY miniature room kit, sketchbook, paint-by-number set, exhibition ticket |
| Gourmet | Craft chocolate set, basket of dried fruit, mini sausages with unusual flavors |
| Sports | Yoga mat, protein bars, fitness tracker |
Exchange Personalized Gifts
In a small group, you can go for truly personalized gifts. Think about what the recipient enjoys, recall their “signature phrase” or shared funny moments, and choose a surprise that matches.
It could be a book they’ve long wanted to read, a humorous T-shirt with their catchphrases, or a cute mug with photos. Such gifts may not always be essential, but they spark vivid emotions and help you show that you truly care for the person.
Experience Gifts
If you know the recipient’s preferences well, give them an experience: a guitar lesson, a horseback ride, a workshop, or concert tickets. This type of gift creates a “wow” effect and becomes a lasting memory.
The main thing is to choose something you’re sure the recipient will enjoy, so they don’t feel uncomfortable.
Budget-Friendly Surprises
Many participants love Secret Santa because it lets them exchange gifts within a budget. You can use this feature to create intrigue: agree on a spending range and, if needed, create a shared idea bank. Budget limits encourage creativity, helping people come up with something unique and surprising.
Building Anticipation Before the Gift Exchange
Typically, Secret Santa players interact only during the draw and during the gift reveal. Yet, you can use this period before the exchange day to create anticipation and add intrigue. Giving fake clues, sharing anonymous hints, and exchanging small pre-gifts will set the mood and keep the anticipation fun.
Here are some ideas for your group.
| What To Use | Example | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Small surprises | Keychain, sticker set, chocolate bar | Choose small treats connected to the main gift. This way, the recipient gets an extra bit of joy before the main reveal and builds happy anticipation. |
| Anonymous hints | Notes, photos, memes | Secret Santa can drop hints about the gift or their identity through anonymous messages. They spark curiosity and are guaranteed to bring a smile. |
| Shared meet-ups | Dinner at a café, group walk | While waiting for gift day, meet up with participants to chat, share updates, and keep an eye on each other for clues. |
| Fake hints | Compliments to another player, false phrases like “I’m giving my gift to Sarah” | Fake hints confuse players and raise the excitement. Theories multiply, but no one knows which is true. |
How to Exchange Secret Santa Gifts While Keeping the Mystery
When all stages are complete, it’s time to exchange gifts. You can go with the classic scenario, i.e. handing out surprises one by one, or make it more creative. We’ve prepared three formats that add brightness and excitement to the Secret Santa reveal with a small group.
Tags With Facts About the Recipient
Instead of traditional name tags, attach notes with facts about the recipient to the gift. Everyone guess together who the gift is for. To keep things smooth, choose facts that most players know.
Example:
- Played soccer for 5 years
- Dreams of having a pet monkey
- Wanted to work at a gas station as a child
This format helps everyone get to know each other better and turns the finale into a memorable celebration.
White Elephant
Secret Santa in a small group is a perfect chance to turn the exchange into a gift hunt or a White Elephant game. Collect all the presents in one spot and let the first player choose one. The next player either takes another unopened gift or “steals” an already opened one. The process continues until all gifts have been claimed.
Gift Wrapping Quest
Gift wrapping often hints at what’s inside. Try to make it impossible to guess. For example, wrap a square box in several layers of paper to turn it into a ball, or place it inside progressively larger boxes — like a nesting doll. This way, the intrigue lasts right up until the recipient finally gets to the actual gift.
Conclusion
Secret Santa in a small group doesn’t have to be boring. If everyone is ready to keep the intrigue alive and try new activities, Secret Santa will be fun and leave warm memories.
Don’t be afraid to tweak the rules and shape the game as you like — it easily adapts to any group size, whether it’s a large office or a small circle of friends. With themed gifts and a bit of humor, Secret Santa turns into a celebration that fills the holiday season with warmth.
