Secret Santa reveal party plan

The run of show for a 90 minute reveal party

Set up the room

Think about three zones: a food area, a gift table and a seating area facing one spot. Put the gifts where everyone can see them but not touch them, and tag each one with the recipient's name so nobody has to guess.

For 8 to 12 people, a living room or a conference table works. For 20 to 30, use a bigger room and arrange the chairs in a loose circle so everyone can see the person who is opening a gift. Keep a trash bag near the circle. Wrapping paper piles up fast.

• Name tags at the door for groups who do not all know each other. See Secret Santa name tags.
• A small box or bag for the guess slips.
• A pen for every guest, because someone always loses theirs.
• A phone charger and a speaker for music in the background.

Snacks that work for a Secret Santa party

Choose food that people can eat while standing and talking, and avoid anything that needs a fork and a plate. A cheese board, a bowl of chips, mini sandwiches, cookies, fruit and one hot dish cover most tastes. Plan about six to eight bites per person for a 90 minute party, and have drinks that are not alcohol for everyone. Ask about allergies in the invite and label the plates.

If it is a potluck, give each person a category: savory, sweet or drinks. That avoids ending up with seven dips and no dessert.

The reveal rounds

1. Pick the order: by birthday month, alphabetically, or by a draw from a bowl.
2. The first person stands up. They guess who their Santa is, out loud or on a slip.
3. They open the gift and read the card.
4. The Santa stands, says "it was me" and may say one line about why they chose the gift.
5. The group claps and the next person goes.
6. Record the guess so it can be scored later. See the reveal scorecard.

For more than 20 people, do the reveal in two rounds of 10, with a break and food in between.

TV mode and games

If you use Hollyhush, TV mode puts the pairs on a screen one at a time, so the group sees each Santa and giftee without the organizer reading a list. Cast it from a laptop or a phone to any TV with a browser. Guess-your-Santa works well as the warm-up game, because everyone has been guessing for weeks and the answers appear on the TV.

Other warm-up ideas that need no setup: trivia about the group, a two-minute gift-wrap race, or gift exchange games. Keep each game under 15 minutes. Do not play a long game before the reveal, or people lose interest in the gifts.

Show every pair on the TV at the party. Create your group, free. Create your group, free

Plan B for a big or remote group

With 30 people, split into tables of 8 to 10 and reveal table by table. For remote teams, run the reveal on a video call, with each Santa on camera while the giftee opens the gift. Share the ideas in Secret Santa reveal ideas for more formats.