By Shangyi Duan · Last verified 2026-11-02 · Sources: src/eeat.js page copy and src/logic.js draw · Report an error
Everything an organiser needs to run the exchange without a meeting: a sheet to print, three emails to send, and a budget that scales with the team.
This page is a resource, not a product. Everything on it can be copied into an email or printed for a noticeboard. The rules sheet is the only part that prints — the templates and the budget table stay on screen.
Office Secret Santa — the rules
Joining is optional. Add your name by the closing date, or say no. No reason needed, and no one is asked twice.
One budget, in writing. The limit is per gift and it includes the wrapping only if the group agrees. Nobody has to explain what they spent.
One gift, one giver. Names are drawn once. Everyone gives to exactly one person and receives from exactly one person.
Steer away from awkward gifts. No alcohol, no scented products, no gag gifts aimed at a person, nothing that comments on a colleague's body, diet or habits.
Wishlists are optional and short. A few likes, sizes or no-gos — a delivery address only for remote colleagues.
Open the gifts together, then reveal if you want. Keep the exchange to 30 minutes. The reveal is the fun part, not the paperwork.
Draw the names at secretsantaname.com — no accounts, one private link per person. Rules in full: /rules.
One page, no header or footer.
Three invite emails
Copy, fill the brackets, send. Short beats clever: people read the budget and the date, then decide.
1. The announcement — three weeks before
Subject: Secret Santa this year — $[BUDGET], [DATE]
Hi all,
We are doing Secret Santa again. [BUDGET] per gift, opened together on [DATE] at [TIME/PLACE].
If you want in, reply or add your name by [CLOSING DATE]. If you would rather sit this one out, that is completely fine — just tell me, no reason needed.
A few ground rules: nothing scented, no alcohol, nothing aimed at a person. A short wishlist (likes, sizes, no-gos) is welcome but optional.
[YOUR NAME]
2. The draw — names closed
Subject: Your Secret Santa link
Hi [NAME],
The names are drawn. Your private link is below — it shows only the one person you are buying for, and nobody else can see it.
[YOUR PRIVATE LINK]
Budget is [BUDGET]. Gifts are opened on [DATE]. Please do not forward the link: it is the only key to your match.
If you add a wishlist, your own Santa can see it, and only them.
[YOUR NAME]
3. The nudge — one week before
Subject: Secret Santa — one week to go
Hi [NAME],
Two things: your private link is [LINK] if you have not opened it yet, and if you want a wishlist you can add one there.
Budget [BUDGET], exchange on [DATE]. If anything has changed for you, tell me now rather than on the day.
[YOUR NAME]
Budget by team size
The bands below stay inside the $15–$25 range that the office guide calls typical. The total column is arithmetic — people × band — not a quoted price, and it assumes everyone joins.
Team size
Suggested band per gift
Total for the team
Note
4–8 people
$20–$25
$80–$200
One round, everyone buys one gift.
9–15 people
$20–$25
$180–$375
Still one round; expect two or three opt-outs.
16–30 people
$15–$20
$240–$600
Keep the band low; the group is large enough that $25 each adds up.
The band matters less than the sentence that states it. A team told "$20, wrapping counts, gifts opened at the Friday lunch on 19 December" asks fewer questions than a team told "keep it sensible".
What to do about the awkward parts
Remote colleagues. Ask for a delivery address through the wishlist note, or agree on e-gift cards: virtual Secret Santa.
Managers and direct reports. Add them as an exclusion pair so the draw never pairs them: the rules page.
People who want out. Keep the opt-out real: no follow-up questions, no "just this once".
The generator itself needs no setup guide: names, exclusions, budget, date, draw. If the rules make a draw impossible it says so instead of saving one — how the draw works explains when that happens.
Questions
Is this kit specific to your generator?
No. The rules sheet, the three emails and the budget table work with any draw. The only link back to this site is the draw itself.
How much should an office Secret Santa cost?
$15–$25 per gift is typical in the US. Larger teams usually do better at the bottom of that band.
Can we use a different budget?
Yes. Pick a number, write it in the rule and in every email, and keep it the same for everyone.