Virtual Secret Santa for remote teams: a simple plan

Run a virtual Secret Santa by drawing names online, agreeing one budget that includes shipping, and giving everyone enough time for a gift to arrive. Send one invite link, let each person add a short wishlist, and keep the reveal for a team call.

It works the same for a fully remote company and for a hybrid team where half the people are in the office. The only parts that change are the draw, the delivery and the reveal. Here is how to handle each one.

How do you draw names when nobody is in the same room?

Use an online draw. Names in a hat need one room and one person who sees everything. With a distributed team, that person ends up knowing who drew whom.

A simple online draw works like this:

1. The organiser creates the event and sends one invite link in the team chat.
2. Everyone joins with their name and email, and can add a wishlist.
3. The organiser draws names. Each person gets a private message with the name of the person they are buying for.

Nobody can see who drew whom, not even the organiser. If someone loses their message, they can ask for it to be sent again with the invite code and their email.

How do you keep it fair across time zones?

Pick the draw date first and tell people early. Give everyone a few days to join, so people on night shift, on leave or in a different time zone don't miss out.

Anyone who joins after the draw can still be slotted in. In JingleBell, late joiners get a match automatically, up to the size of the group you paid for. In a free group the limit is 10 people.

What budget should a remote team set?

Agree one budget, and say it includes shipping. If one person buys a small gift in the same city and another pays for international post, the gifts will not feel even.

Some choices that keep it simple:

Situation	What to agree
Everyone in one country	One amount, shipping included
Several countries	One amount in one currency, shipping included
Very spread out	An e-gift card or a digital gift, so nothing has to be posted

If the team is in different countries, state the currency in the invite. "25 EUR including shipping" is clearer than "about 250 kr".

How does the gift get to the person?

This is the hard part of a virtual Secret Santa. The giver knows a name, but not an address. Three ways to solve it without breaking the secret:

• Ask for a delivery note in the wishlist. The wishlist is shown to the person who drew that name. A line such as "Can be sent to the office in Bergen" or "Digital gifts are welcome" is enough.
• Offer a digital option. A gift card, a book on an e-reader or a donation in someone's name needs no address.
• Use the office where there is one. In a hybrid team, gifts for people in the office can be left at reception, and the rest are posted.

Never ask the organiser to pass on addresses. They don't know who drew whom, and that is the point.

Tell people the last day to order, so a parcel arrives before the reveal. Postal times vary a lot by country, so give remote colleagues more time than you think you need.

How do you run the reveal?

Do it on a video call. Give it 20 to 30 minutes at the end of a regular team meeting, or set aside a short slot of its own.

Two formats work well:

1. Guess first. Everyone opens their gift in turn. The team guesses who the giver is, and then the giver speaks up.
2. Keep it secret. Nobody says who gave what. People thank their Secret Santa in the team chat.

Say before the call which one you are doing. People who are shy about being on camera will be glad to know.

What about people who are not on email all day?

Use email, and make sure the invite link is also in the place where the team talks every day. In a paid group, people can join with a mobile number instead of an email address. Free groups of 10 or fewer are email only.

What does it cost?

A group of 3 to 10 people is free. Larger groups pay once per event, when names are drawn. There is no subscription.

People	EUR / USD
3–10	free
11–25	9.99
26–50	14.99
51–100	24.99
101–200	39.99

For more tips on teams, read Secret Santa at work. For a short checklist, see how to organise a Secret Santa that everyone enjoys.

Ready to draw names for your team?

Start your Secret Santa. Choose how big your group is, add the date and gift budget, and share one link.

Frequently asked questions

Can we do Secret Santa with a team in different countries?

Yes. Everyone joins from the same invite link, and the draw is online. Agree one currency for the budget and give people extra time for shipping.

How do we keep couples or close colleagues from drawing each other?

The organiser can keep pairs apart before the draw. Couples, and parents and children, are common examples.

What if someone in the team doesn't want to join?

Keep it optional. Ask early, and make it easy to say no. People can also be added by hand by the organiser if they decide later.

Can the organiser see who got whom?

No. Nobody can see who drew whom, not even the organiser.

What if someone joins after the draw?

They are slotted in automatically, up to the paid group size. In a free group, up to 10 people.