Organize a Secret Santa exchange on GiftList

Create a GiftList exchange to invite people, set a budget and exclusions, draw names, and share wishlists or gift hints. The organizer and participants use free accounts to manage the exchange and view their matches. At least three eligible participants are needed to draw; an exchange supports up to 100 people.

Create and invite

Watch this step, from 0:42

1. Sign in and open Secret Santa. Start a new exchange from the exchange dashboard.
2. Enter the exchange name and details, including the gift budget and exchange date. You draw names yourself by default. If you switch on Draw automatically after a join-by date, GiftList draws names for you the morning after that date (7–8am Pacific) unless you have already drawn them, and emails everyone their match. Only turn it on if exclusions and the participant list will be final by then. You can change it later in Edit details.
3. Add participants by the offered email, name or GiftList-person options. You can also create an invitation link to share yourself.
4. Continue through Next, review the details and choose Create exchange (Create & copy link in older app versions). With the invite link on, GiftList then offers Share invite link or Copy invite link so you can send it to your group. You can switch the link off in the exchange's Settings tab.
5. Check the participant roster. If someone was added by name without an email, send their personal invitation link yourself; GiftList cannot email an address you have not provided.

Keep personal invitation links private to the person they are intended for. Before adding the same person again, check whether they already appear under a name or email invitation.

Watch the walkthrough

Prefer to watch? The written steps cover the full task.

Play video: How to Do Secret Santa Online: Draw Names, Add Wishlists, Keep Couples Apart

Play video: How Does Secret Santa Work? Rules, Budget and Drawing Names Online

Set exclusions and draw names

Watch this step, from 1:49

1. Open the exchange's exclusion controls and add pairs that should not be matched, such as partners. Review the direction and people shown for each exclusion.
2. Check the roster and resolve invitation mistakes before drawing. The draw includes people who have not declined, including pending and name-only participants; they do not all have to finish joining first. Remove anyone who should not participate before drawing. Do not assume an undeliverable email means the person has no assignment.
3. Choose Draw names, review its participant count and warnings, then confirm Draw names.
4. Open your own match and ask participants to open theirs. People use their accounts to view matches; an invitation preview alone is not the match.

Too many exclusions can make a valid draw impossible. Review restrictions if GiftList cannot draw. A redraw replaces assignments; use its confirmation carefully because people may already have started shopping.

Wishlists, privacy and later changes

Participants can link a GiftList wishlist or choose Mystery Q&A. Santa Mail supports anonymous questions after the draw when enabled. The budget is a guideline, not a payment limit enforced by GiftList.

Do not promise that an organizer can never discover assignments. Normal match views show a person's own recipient, but organizer tools and personal invitation links create other ways assignments can become known. If complete organizer blindness is essential, do not treat GiftList as a guarantee of it.

The separate quick Secret Santa generator is a different no-account draw tool where the organizer sees the pairings. It is not the full invitation, wishlist and match-account workflow.

White Elephant and other gift games

GiftList's exchange feature runs Secret Santa-style draws, where each person gives to one assigned match. It doesn't run White Elephant, Yankee Swap or other steal-and-swap games, because those are played in the room. For those, GiftList has free tools: printable gift exchange rules, a dice roller for steal turns, a gift exchange quiz to pick a game, and White Elephant gift ideas.

Related: Join and find your match, buy from a shared list, family groups.