How to do Secret Santa online

The online Secret Santa steps

1. Pick a tool that does not need accounts. If people must install an app or share an email, some will not join. Hollyhush uses one link and a first name.
2. Set the budget and the swap date in the first message. Add a shipping allowance if gifts are mailed.
3. Draw the names. Hide the matches. Anything that lets the organizer see the draw also lets them spoil it.
4. Collect addresses privately, only from the Santa who needs them. Do not post addresses in the group.
5. Tell people the ship-by date, usually a week before the swap date.
6. Ask questions through anonymous chat so no one is found out.
7. Hold the reveal on a call or in a shared message thread on the swap date.

Hollyhush has anonymous chat with your match and with your own Santa, so remote groups can ask questions without being found out. Create your group, free

Shipped gifts or digital gifts

Rules that matter more online

• Raise the budget by about $5 to $10 if shipping comes out of it, or say shipping is separate.
• Ask for dietary needs and allergies, since you can not read the room.
• Do not mix countries without checking customs. Digital gifts are simpler.
• Use time zones in the invite. Say "7 PM Eastern", not "evening".
• Hollyhush does not send email reminders, so set a reminder in your chat or calendar.

Making the reveal work on video

A video reveal is easy if you keep it short. Each person opens their gift on camera, says one guess about who gave it, and then the Santa unmutes. For more than ten people, split into small breakout rooms. Hollyhush has a TV mode, which is best for in-person screens. For remote groups, share your screen with the pairs from the reveal. See virtual Secret Santa for game ideas.

Common problems online

• Someone does not check their link. Ask for a thumbs up in the group once names are drawn.
• A gift arrives late. Let the Santa send a photo with a note, and still count it.
• A time-zone mix-up. Name one time and put it in everyone's calendar.

If your group is for a company, check whether your workplace rules limit gift values.

A sample invite for an online group

Here is a message you can adapt. Secret Santa is on. Budget: $25, shipping included. Join using this link by November 28. Names are drawn on November 30. Ship your gift by December 10, so it arrives before the call on December 18. Questions go through the anonymous chat. Check the Secret Santa rules for a longer rules block, and the timeline for dates that work backward from your swap.