Organizing Secret Santa at work

The process in six steps

This is how you go from the first idea to the gift exchange:

• Check the interest: Ask in the team chat or in a meeting who wants to take part. Participation is voluntary.
• Set the frame: budget per gift, deadline for wishes and the date of the exchange.
• Collect participants: the name and email address of everyone taking part.
• Collect wishes: everyone adds up front what they would enjoy.
• Draw: names are only drawn once everyone is done, so each person gets a wishlist right away.
• Exchange: the gifts are handed over on a fixed date, for example at the holiday party.

Keep it voluntary

Secret Santa should be fun and never create pressure. Word the invitation openly: anyone who does not want to take part does not have to explain. This also applies to part-time colleagues, people working from home or new team members, who are easily overlooked in activities like this.

With Wichtellab, everyone can decline their invitation with one click.

Set budget and dates

A common range is 10 to 20 euros per gift. What matters is that the same budget applies to everyone and is fixed up front. Include shipping costs and delivery time for online orders.

Plan the dates backwards from the exchange:

• Exchange: for example at the holiday party or on the last working day before the holidays.
• Draw: two weeks before at the latest so orders arrive in time.
• Deadline for wishes: about a week before the draw. Anyone missing by then gets a reminder. At the deadline you receive a notice and can draw without the missing people.

Who should not draw each other?

Couples, close teammates and people who already give gifts together are better kept apart. You set such exclusions up front, and they apply in both directions.

In very small groups, too many exclusions can make the draw impossible. Wichtellab detects this and tells you what you can change.

Dropouts and latecomers

Almost always someone joins late or drops out at short notice. Before the draw you simply add or remove people, and typos in a name or email address can be fixed. After the draw, “Draw again” helps: everyone then gets a new match and a new email.

Data protection in the team

For Secret Santa you only need a name and an email address. Do not collect private addresses or sensitive details. Sizes and allergies are optional. With Wichtellab even the organizer never sees who gives to whom, and all data is deleted automatically after the exchange.

No slips of paper, no spreadsheet

Names from a hat work for five people in the same room. As soon as the team is larger or spread out it gets tedious: who has drawn already, who is missing, who knows the wishes? Wichtellab takes care of invitations, reminders, wishlists and the draw by email. You set up the round in about two minutes.

Frequently asked questions about Secret Santa at work

How many people do you need for Secret Santa?

At least three. With Wichtellab, up to 200 people per round are possible.

How high should the budget be?

A common range is 10 to 20 euros. What matters is that the budget is the same for everyone and fixed up front.

Does everyone on the team have to take part?

No. Participation is voluntary. Anyone who does not want to simply declines.

What happens if someone drops out at short notice?

You remove the person and draw again. All participants then receive a new match by email.