Workplace gift exchanges

How to run an office Secret Santa

A work gift exchange can be a genuine bright spot in December, or it can get awkward fast. The difference is usually a clear budget, optional sign-up, and a way to draw names that doesn’t require collecting everyone’s email on yet another website. Here’s a straightforward way to run one, including for remote and hybrid teams.

1. Keep it optional, and say so

Invite the whole team, set a date to opt in, and draw only the people who said yes. Nobody should have to explain why they’re sitting this out, and there shouldn’t be a public scoreboard of who declined. If managers are participating, they should make it obvious that it’s genuinely voluntary.

2. Pick a budget and a date — and write both down

A common office range in the US is $15 to $25. That’s enough for a decent gift without leaning on people who are already stretched in December. If your team wants to go higher or lower, that’s fine; what matters is that the number is shared early and is the same for everyone.

Also set two dates: when names will be drawn, and when gifts will be exchanged (or, for a remote team, a ship-by date). In Mitten Draw you can attach both a budget and an exchange date so they appear when someone opens their private link.

3. Collect names (and optional wish notes) in one place you already use

A short thread in Slack or Teams, or a simple shared list, is enough: “You’re in, and here’s a 10-word wish if you want one.” You don’t need a dedicated gift-exchange account for every coworker. If you’re using Mitten Draw, the organizer types those names and notes into the draw, then sends each person their link through the same work chat or email you already use.

4. Draw names without making people sign up

Add everyone who opted in, then add any “keep apart” pairs that make sense — partners who both work there, for example. You can also enter last year’s matches so the same person doesn’t buy for the same recipient two years in a row. Draw in the browser, and send each person only their own link, one message at a time. Don’t paste the whole list into a group channel.

Copy the links before you close the tab. The organizer page isn’t saved (that’s the trade-off for nothing being stored on a server). If a link goes missing, draw again and send a fresh set.

5. Plan for remote and hybrid teammates

Private links are handy here: someone in another city can reveal who they drew on their own time. Give the group a ship-by date with enough cushion for delivery, and decide how addresses will be shared. A wish note is a reasonable place for a mailing address or “please message me for my address,” as long as people choose what they’re comfortable putting there.

On the day, a video call works well: people open gifts together, or hold up what arrived. If some of the team is in the office and some aren’t, don’t leave the remote folks as an afterthought — same budget, same deadline, same chance to be on the call.

Office Secret Santa etiquette

• Gifts should be work-appropriate. Skip anything suggestive, overly personal, or joke-mean. When in doubt, useful or cozy beats funny.
• Don’t assume alcohol, religion, or food restrictions. A theme like “desk useful” or “warm and cozy” gives people a lane without boxing anyone in.
• Keep the tone kind, not competitive. This isn’t the place for an expensive one-up, and it isn’t a performance review in wrapping paper.
• Have a backup gift. If someone is out sick or a package is late, a small extra present or a “we’ll catch you next week” plan keeps the moment from going flat.
• Remember that the organizer can open a link. The page doesn’t show the matches, but each link contains that person’s recipient. Be the kind of organizer who doesn’t peek.

Frequently asked questions