How to run a Secret Santa online

Why draw names online

The hat is the classic way to run a Secret Santa, but it needs everyone in one room on one day, and it fails quietly: somebody draws their own name, a couple draws each other, or the organiser has to draw for the people who were absent and then knows their names.

Drawing names by link solves all three. The draw happens once, every name is matched fairly, and each person sees only the name they drew. People can be in different cities, and the draw can happen weeks before the party.

Step 1: decide the group and the budget

Start with who is taking part. In a party, that is usually the guests who said they are coming. Decide the budget before the draw and say it clearly; a budget everyone agrees on keeps the exchange fun rather than awkward.

Choose a date for the exchange too. If the gifts are opened at the party, the draw should happen at least two to three weeks before it, so nobody shops in a panic.

Step 2: keep the right people apart

Some pairs should not draw each other: couples who already exchange presents, flatmates, or two colleagues who sit side by side. Mark those pairs before the draw, and the draw respects them.

Keep the list of exceptions short. Every pair you exclude makes the draw a little less random, and in a small group too many exceptions can make it impossible.

Step 3: draw and share the links

With Bashlo, the host draws the names for the party and each participant gets their own link. They open it, tap to reveal, and see the name they drew together with the budget. Each name is opened once, from that person’s own link, so keep your link to yourself.

The host never sees the pairs. That matters more than it sounds: it means the organiser can take part like everyone else.

Step 4: wishlists

A short wishlist removes most of the stress. Everyone can leave a few ideas for whoever drew them: a colour they like, a hobby, something they would never buy themselves. The person who drew them sees it when they open their link.

Encourage people to be specific but flexible. “Good tea, warm socks, anything with cats” gives a giver three directions without dictating the gift.

On the day of the exchange

Decide how the reveal works before the party. Some groups open gifts one at a time while everyone guesses the giver; others keep the givers secret for good. Either way, a fixed moment in the evening keeps the exchange from drifting into the last ten minutes.

If someone cannot come, ask them to send their gift with a friend, and make sure the person they drew is not left empty-handed.

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