Secret Santa for the family — fair and fuss-free.
Christmas or birthday: set up a family gift exchange in a minute. Everyone adds a wish, draw.gift matches automatically.
Create your group now 🎁
One minute to set up. We handle the draw.
How draw.gift works
Three steps — no accounts, no app to install.
Create a group
Name, deadline, and optionally a budget, allowed email domains and gift tips.
Invite your family
Share your invite link — everyone signs up with name and email in seconds.
Draw automatically
The morning after the deadline everyone gets their match — plus a gift tip.
Family Secret Santa: one gift instead of twenty
In a big family, everyone quickly ends up buying for everyone at Christmas — which costs money, time and nerves. With Secret Santa each person draws exactly one other person and only gives to them. Everyone gets one thoughtful gift, and the effort stays manageable.
draw.gift handles the draw. You create the group, share the invite link in the family chat, and everyone signs up themselves.
Making it work in a family
- One email address per person: The match comes by email, so each participant needs their own address. Young children are best given a gift directly; the draw is for adults and teenagers.
- Gift tips instead of guesswork: Everyone leaves a short hint, such as “Loves tea, crime novels and all things cinnamon”. Whoever drew them gets it with their match — a lifesaver with distant relatives.
- One budget for everyone: With a shared spending limit — $15 to $30 is typical — things stay fair between grandma, cousin and nephew.
- Deadline before the holiday: For gifts on Christmas Eve, set the deadline two to three weeks ahead. The draw runs the morning after, which leaves plenty of time to shop.
When the family lives far apart
Family spread across several cities? No problem: sign-up runs through the invite link, which you send by WhatsApp, email or your phone's share sheet. Nobody has to install an app or create an account — not even the grandparents.
How the gift reaches its recipient is up to you: at the family gathering, by post, or through relatives who are visiting anyway.
Everything you need for a fair draw
Set a budget
Optional spending limit like 20 € or 25 $ — shown to everyone.
Organize without joining
Switch off “I'm joining the draw too” if you only run the round and don't want to be drawn yourself.
Gift tips
Everyone can add a hint — their match gets it with the reveal.
Privacy by design
GDPR-compliant. All group data is deleted 7 days after the deadline.
Frequently asked questions
Does everyone in the family need their own email address?
Yes, each participant needs their own address — that's where their match is sent, and it keeps everyone's match private. The same address can't be used for two people. Children without an address are best given a gift directly.
How do we keep gifts from being very different in price?
Set a spending limit when you create the group. It's visible to everyone, so grandma, uncle and cousin all shop with the same expectations.
When should we draw?
About two to three weeks before the holiday. You choose that through the deadline; the draw runs automatically the morning after.
Can two people end up drawing each other?
Not with three or more participants: draw.gift builds a closed circle — A gives to B, B gives to C, and the last person gives to A. So nobody draws themselves, and nobody gives to the person who gives to them. With only two participants, both necessarily give to each other.
Secret Santa guides
Rules, variations and gift ideas — explained in one place.
How does Secret Santa work? The core rules, the usual process, typical budgets and the best-known variations — explained in one page.
White ElephantWhite Elephant explained: the rules, how to play with dice or a draw, good gift ideas from around the house — and what not to bring.
Gift ideasSecret Santa gift ideas for $5, $10, $20 and $25 — for colleagues, family and friends, plus what works at the office and what does not.
Ready to draw?
Set up your group in under a minute.
Create a group — free 🎁