Secret Santa at work – a simple plan for any team size

A workplace Secret Santa is one of the easiest ways to bring a team together before the holidays. It gets people laughing at the Christmas party and gives colleagues a reason to learn a little more about each other. With lots of people, different schedules and remote workers, though, it can get messy fast. Here is a simple plan that works whether you are eight people or eighty.

Ask early, and keep it optional

Send a short message three to four weeks before the exchange: what it is, how much it costs and when gifts will be handed out. Make it clear that joining is optional. Secret Santa should be fun, not something people feel pressured into.

Set a clear sign-up deadline so you know how many people are in before names are drawn.

Pick a budget everyone is comfortable with

At work, a modest budget usually works best, for example €15–20 or 150–200 kr. Everyone can join without worrying about money, and nobody feels awkward about their gift. Put the amount in the invitation so you are not answering the same question all week.

Decide who should not draw each other

Do you have couples who work together? It is usually more fun if they do not draw each other. The same can apply to two people who already swap gifts. Agree on these exceptions before the draw.

Draw names without anyone seeing the list

In a big group, names in a hat do not work well: people are away, someone draws themselves, and the organiser ends up knowing too much. With an online draw, each person gets a private email or text with the name of the person they are buying for. Nobody, not even the organiser, can see who drew whom.

Ask for short wishlists

Colleagues do not always know each other well. Ask everyone for two or three hints, like "coffee", "something for the garden" or "chocolate without nuts". It saves the giver a lot of guessing, and the receiver gets something they actually like.

When someone joins late

It happens every year: someone missed the deadline or started in December. With an online draw, late joiners can be added after the draw without everyone having to draw again.

Plan the exchange

Decide whether gifts are handed out at the Christmas party, over lunch or in a short meeting. Put the gifts in a sack or under a tree, and let people guess who their Secret Santa was before the reveal.

How to do it with JingleBell

With JingleBell you set up the exchange in a couple of minutes, share one invite link in Teams, Slack or email, and colleagues join themselves with their name and email or mobile number. You can keep couples apart, and everyone gets their match privately. It is free for up to 10 people, then a one-time 9.99 for 11–25 and 14.99 for 26–50 participants (in euros or dollars).