How To Play Secret Santa With Friends: Your Easy Guide

Usually, people play Secret Santa in offices, schools, college clubs, and other large groups. But you can also exchange Christmas gifts anonymously with your closest friends.

Every year, users of the MySanta service not only share great gift ideas in their wishlists and questionnaires, but also tell us about warm friendship traditions and creative ways they celebrate Christmas. One of the most popular holiday traditions is the Secret Santa game. It livens up any Christmas party, lifts everyone’s spirits, and makes your friendships even stronger. In this article, we explain how to easily organize the game for a group of friends and how to keep it fun for everyone.

What is a Secret Santa Gift Exchange?

Traditionally, players gather in one place, write their names on pieces of paper, drop them into a box, and take turns to draw names. Each participant secretly prepares a gift for the person whose name they got. The main rule is to remain anonymous until the very end: players shouldn’t know who gives a gift to whom.

Why Play Secret Santa With Friends

There are several reasons why it’s worth playing Secret Santa with friends:

• The element of mystery. Right up until the end, you don’t know which friend is preparing your gift.
• Saving money on gifts. You don’t have to buy gifts for everyone. Instead, you can give something worthwhile and truly useful to one friend whose name you've drawn.
• Festive atmosphere. The feeling of magic and miracle arrives long before Christmas because you become a Secret Santa for someone.
• Bringing people together. You can play even at a distance. If your friends are in other cities or even other countries, Secret Santa helps everyone connect and exchange heartwarming gifts.

How did Secret Santa become popular? In 2009, a Reddit user named Dan McComas suggested exchanging holiday gifts. His idea resonated with many users. To simplify the drawing process, McComas created the website RedditGifts.com. Anyone could register, receive another player’s address, and send them a gift. In return, the giver received a present from a third participant.

Also Read:

Secret Santa Rules: Step-by-Step Guide to Organizing the Game

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How To Organize a Game for Friends

You can organize Secret Santa with friends with a hat or using an online Secret Santa organizer. Here’s how each option works.

Organize a Traditional Secret Santa

Traditionally, players gather in one room and draw names from the box or Christmas hat to determine who gives a present to whom. Players write their names on paper with a couple of gift wishes, drop them into a box, and each player draws one name.

There are downsides to this way of playing. A player can draw their own name, and the draw starts again. Moreover, someone can lose the piece of paper or forget for whom they need to buy a gift. This may lead to the messed-up game and frustration.

Create a Game Through an Online Service

The easiest way to organize the game is to use the MySanta app. The organizer will be able to monitor who is gifting to whom and, if needed, add exclusions so certain players don’t get paired. All participants can create wishlists and chat anonymously with their Santas and recipients.

With an online generator, you can quickly set up a remote game, too. Friends who live far apart can send digital gifts to each other, or use a postal service to send gifts. There's an option to track gift progress in the app.

Here are some extra advantages of using an online service:

1. invite unlimited number of players - the game runs smoothly even for a larger group
2. create wishlists - players add links to the items they want, which helps their Secret Santa choose a perfect gift
3. everything is recorded - an organizer can send reminders and chat with players to ensure everyone buys and sends a gift on time.

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.

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What To Give a Friend for Secret Santa

Choosing a present for a friend can actually be harder than picking one for a stranger. To be sure you’ll get it right, you can ask a few leading questions: what they dream about, what they’re into right now, their plans and goals for the coming year, and what helps them relax and smile. In the MySanta app, you can chat with your giftee anonymously and ask any questions without revealing yourself.

If you don’t have any ideas or feel stuck, use our table for inspiration.

What Celebrities Gave Their Recipients in Secret Santa

Celebrities have played Secret Santa through RedditGifts.com: Bill Gates, Shaquille O’Neal, Snoop Dogg, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and many others. Major brands also sent anonymous gifts to players: Disney, LEGO, Sony PlayStation, Xbox.

In 2016, Arnold Schwarzenegger drew a recipient who loved her cat. He drew a portrait of the cat and included a photo of himself in the process of sketching it.

Basketball star Shaquille O’Neal, playing as Secret Santa, sent his recipient a signed photo of himself, plus a Star Warsbook and a set of postcards.

Bill Gates took part for several years and became known for his generosity. In one game, learning that his recipient volunteered for a charity, he sent a travel book, a toy cow, and a notice that he had made a donation to the organization. As proof, he included a photo of himself with the receipt.

How To Exchange Secret Santa Gifts

If you’re celebrating Christmas with friends at someone’s apartment or house, you can place all the Secret Santa gifts in one spot — for example, under the tree. At the party, each guest will find the box with their name and open it. Or, you can ask one person to hand out gifts to everyone.

To make exchanging gifts more fun, combine it with other activities. Ask each guest to answer a Trivia question, do something funny, or share a holiday story before opening the gift. Thus, gift unwrapping can turn into a real bonding moment with your friends.

Conclusion

No matter which method you choose — online service, or the traditional one — the goal is the same: to bring friends together and spread joy. The important part is keeping the spirit of surprise alive while making sure everyone feels included in the holiday magic.

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