Secret Santa
Secret Santa without the paper chaos.
Create a group, drop the link in your group chat, draw names. Everyone finds out in secret who they’re gifting. Wishlists? Nice to have, never required.
Free · right in your browser · no password
- Everyone only sees their own match
- Couples can be excluded
- Grandma can join without email
How your Secret Santa works.
Four steps, all in your browser. Everyone who joins just needs a name and an email address.
Create a group
Name your group, add your name, set a budget and, if you like, the date of the gift exchange. Takes half a minute.
Share the link
Drop the invitation link in your group chat or send it via WhatsApp. Everyone signs up with their name and email.
Set exclusions
Decide who shouldn’t draw whom, like couples. You see right away whether the draw still works.
Draw names
One tap and everyone gets their match by email. Nobody else sees who they’re gifting.
No more hats, paper slips or duds.
With the classic hat draw, everyone has to be in the same room, and someone still ends up drawing themselves. Here you draw online, even when the family lives far apart, and nobody draws themselves. Anyone can give their Secret Santa a hint with a wishlist. And if you’re out of ideas, we’ve got some.
- Draw names online, no one has to be there
- Everyone only sees their own match
- Couples can be excluded
- Wishlists optional, never required
What our Secret Santa does
- One link for everyone
- Share the invitation link in your group chat. Everyone signs up with name and email, no app and no password.
- No email? No problem
- Grandma doesn’t have an email address? Add her by name only. She’s part of the draw, and only you see her match to pass it on.
- Who can’t draw whom
- Couples or siblings who exchange gifts anyway are easy to exclude. You see right away whether the draw still works.
- Match by email
- Everyone gets their match by email and on their own page. If the person they’re gifting has a wishlist, they see it right there. If not, they can ask for wishes anonymously.
And the wishlist? Nice to have, never required.
Secret Santa works without a wishlist, too. It’s an extra for anyone who wants to give their Secret Santa a hint.
- Without a wishlist
- You see who you’re gifting and pick something yourself, just like Secret Santa always works.
- With a wishlist
- A wishlist is a list of wishes from any online store, with picture and price. Anyone can link theirs when joining or create one in a minute. Their Secret Santa then sees up to three wishes within the budget along with the match.
- No wishlist yet?
- Your Secret Santa can ask you for a few wishes anonymously. Who drew you stays a secret.
No idea what to get? Get some inspiration.
No idea what to get the person you drew?
Get inspired. Not everyone has a wishlist, and sometimes you draw Grandma Ruth or the coworker you barely know. That’s what our gift ideas are for, in the app and in your browser, right in the menu.
What do you get …
- … Grandma Ruth?Cozy home
- … the coworker you barely know?Secret Santa under $25
- … your 14-year-old niece?Beauty & self-care
- … your brother-in-law who loves to cook?Kitchen & cooking
Matching templates you’ll find in the app. Pick single ideas from them.
Get inspired
Gift ideas with picture and price to browse. Tap one for the details and go straight to the store.
Templates
Ready-made wishlists built from the most popular wishes, like “Secret Santa under $25” or “Stocking stuffers under $15”. Just pick single ideas.
See the gift listsSecret Santa questions
Something else on your mind? Write to support@mywishlistonline.com and a real person answers.
How does Secret Santa on My Wishlist Online work?
You create a Secret Santa group and share the invitation link, for example in your group chat. Everyone signs up with their name and email and confirms with one tap in the email. Then you draw names: everyone gets their match by email and on their own page.
Do you draw the names for us?
Yes. Nobody draws themselves, and exclusions like “couples don’t draw each other” are respected. If someone drops out after the draw, you can draw again. Everyone who confirmed then gets a new email.
Does everyone need a wishlist?
No. Secret Santa works without one. Anyone can link a wishlist when joining, and their Secret Santa sees a few wishes along with the match. If someone has none, their Secret Santa can ask them for wishes anonymously or browse our gift ideas.
Does everyone need the app or an account?
No. It all runs in the browser, with no sign-up and no password. Everyone enters a name and email address and confirms by email; that’s also where the match arrives. As the organizer, you confirm your own email once before the draw.
Is it in the app, too?
Yes. From version 1.10 you’ll find Secret Santa in the app menu. Invitations still go out as a link, and nobody who joins needs the app.
Can someone join without an email address?
Yes. Add them by name only, like Grandma or the kids. They’re part of the draw, and only you as the organizer see their match so you can pass it on.
Does it stay secret who’s gifting whom?
Yes. Everyone only sees their own match. There’s no list of all matches, not even for the organizer, who only sees the matches of people without an email address. Requests for wishes are anonymous, too.
Does it work for an office Secret Santa?
Yes. You draw online, even if not everyone is in the office on the same day. And if you barely know the coworker you drew, our gift ideas and templates help.
How do we set a budget?
When you create the group, you pick a budget per gift, like $20 or $25, and if you like the date of the gift exchange. Both show up in the invitation, so everyone knows from the start.
Is it free?
Yes. There's no subscription and no paid tier. When someone buys a gift through a store link, the store may pay us a small commission. The price stays the same for them.
More in our guides
Start your Secret Santa.
Your group is ready in a minute. Free and right in your browser.
Your own wishlist is in the app, too: