Secret santa generator
Draw names for a gift exchange. Each person opens a private link to see only their own match. No sign-up, no email.
How to draw names for secret santa online
Type everyone's names, one per line, and press Draw names. Nobody draws themselves, and couples you pick never draw each other. Each person gets a private link that shows only who they buy a gift for, with the budget and the date. There is no sign-up and no email.
- Type the names of everyone in the gift exchange, one per line. Up to 40 people.
- Optional: pick pairs who should not draw each other, like couples. Add a budget and the date.
- Press Draw names. Nobody draws their own name, and no pair you picked draws each other.
- Send each person their own link, in a private message. When they open it and tap the button, they see only who they buy a gift for, with the budget and the date.
All in the same room? Press Pass the phone around. Each person taps their own name, sees their match, hides it, and passes the phone on. The list marks who has already looked.
How the draw works
A secret santa draw is a list where everyone gives exactly one gift and gets exactly one gift, and nobody gets their own name. Mathematicians call this a derangement. Six people have 265 possible draws like that.
The generator shuffles the whole list at random and keeps the first shuffle that follows every rule. So every valid draw has the same chance. When the rules are very tight, it builds a valid draw step by step instead.
Some rules make a draw impossible. With three people where two are a couple, both of them can only draw the third person, who can only take one gift. The generator tells you which people the rules leave short, so you know which rule to remove.
Is the draw really secret?
The draw is never sent to a server. It is made in your browser, and each match is packed into its person's link, after the # sign. Browsers don't send that part of a link to websites, so we never see your names.
The links scramble the names, so a quick look at a link does not show the match. This is a party game, not security: the organiser could open someone else's link and see that match. If the organiser should play without knowing anything, ask them to send the links without opening them.
Gift exchange tips
- Set a budget everyone can afford. A low budget makes the gifts more creative, not worse.
- Pick the date before the draw, so it shows in every link.
- Ask people to write one or two things they like in the group chat. It helps the person who drew them.
- Somebody can't come? Start a new draw with the new list, and send the new links to everyone.
- Need teams for the party games after the gifts? Use the random group generator.
After the gift exchange
In LifeSim, you can be anyone in any real city on a 3D map of Earth and live a life day by day. The people around you have jobs and homes, and they remember you. It is free and runs in your browser, on a computer or a phone.
Questions
Is this secret santa generator free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no email and no limit. Draw as many times as you want, for up to 40 people.
Can the organiser see who drew whom?
Not on the screen. The organiser sees only a list of names with one link each. Each link shows one match when it is opened, so an organiser who opens someone else's link would see that match. It is a party game, not security: ask the organiser to send the links without opening them.
How do I stop couples from drawing each other?
Under the names, pick the two people and press Add. They will never draw each other, in either direction. You can add as many pairs as you need.
Why does it say that no draw works?
Too many rules can leave someone with nobody to draw. With 3 people and one couple, both people of the couple can only draw the third person, who can only get one gift. Remove a rule or add a person, and draw again.
Can we draw names when everyone is in the same room?
Yes. After the draw, press Pass the phone around. Each person taps their own name, taps to show their match, hides it and passes the phone on.
What if someone loses their link?
The browser that made the draw keeps it, so the organiser can open the page again and copy the same link. A new draw makes new matches for everyone, so send all the new links.
Does it work for a gift exchange that isn't at Christmas?
Yes. It works for any gift exchange: a birthday, an office party, a class, or friends who live far apart and send gifts by mail.