Secret Santa clues and how to run a hint game

How to run a Secret Santa clue game over the weeks

1. Announce the game with the invite. Say the first clue arrives in week one and the last one a few days before the swap.
2. Each Santa writes three clues: one easy, one medium and one hard. Keep them in a note on your phone.
3. Release the easy clue first, usually about three weeks before the swap. Pair it with a small treat on the desk if you are in the same office.
4. Release the medium clue a week later and the hard clue the week of the swap.
5. Let people guess in private or in the group chat. A rule of one guess per person per clue keeps it fair.
6. At the reveal, count right guesses and say who got whom. If you want to score it, see the reveal scorecard.

Easy clues (anyone could guess with a little thought)

• My name has more than five letters.
• I work on the same floor as you.
• I drink the same kind of coffee you do.
• I have been here for more than two years.
• I chose this gift while eating lunch.
• My birthday is in the first half of the year.

Medium clues (narrow it to a handful of people)

• I have a pet, but not a dog.
• I have been to at least three different countries.
• I wear glasses some of the time.
• I listen to music while I work.
• I once brought a dish to a team potluck and it disappeared fast.
• I have a hobby that involves my hands.

Hard clues (be careful, these almost give nothing away)

• I am the third person you would think of if you had to guess, but not the first.
• My favorite season is not winter.
• I once changed jobs but ended up back in this group.
• I have seen the same movie more than ten times.
• The first letter of my first name is in the first half of the alphabet, but not A.
• I never answer a text in under a minute.
• I am the last person to leave the room when there is cake.
• I have been to a concert this year.

Do not use clues about height, weight, age, family or health. A clue should be funny, not personal.

Rules that keep a clue game fair

Set the rules before the first clue. The most common problem is that one person guesses early and spoils it for everyone else, so ask people to keep their guesses private until the reveal. A second problem is clues that are too revealing, so give each Santa a quick check: would this clue point to exactly one person? If so, make it vaguer.

Also decide what happens when someone guesses correctly before the reveal. The Santa does not have to admit it. A good house rule is that nobody confirms or denies until the party.

Using Hollyhush for clues

If you use Hollyhush, the clue game lives in the app. Each person gets a guess-who game that lets them pick who they think their Santa is, and the group wall is a good place to drop hints without naming yourself. Anonymous chat lets a Santa send a clue directly to their giftee. There is no app to install, and the group deletes itself 60 days after the swap date.

For more reveal ideas that pair well with a clue game, see Secret Santa reveal ideas.

Run the clue game in one link. Create your group, free. Create your group, free