By clicking “Continue”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. You can read about how we use this data in our Cookie Policy
How the Name Drawing Works
- 1
Add everyone
Type names or paste a list. An organizer who is only running the exchange can stay out of the hat entirely.
- 2
Set the rules
Mark who should not draw whom - partners, housemates, whoever swapped last year - and the draw works around it.
- 3
Everyone draws
Each person opens their own link and draws from the virtual hat, on their own time. No passing a phone around the room.
- 4
Add wishlists
After drawing, everyone can list what they would like, with photos, so their gifter has something to work from.
Where Gift Exchanges Go Wrong, Handled
Almost every gift exchange falls apart in the same four places. There is a feature for each one.
Somebody draws their own name
Impossible here. The generator never assigns anyone to themselves, and it tells you up front if your rules leave no valid solution at all.
Two people who should not match, match
Conflict rules cover it. Mark a pair and the draw routes around them automatically, however many pairs you add.
Nobody knows what to buy
Wishlists. Everyone can add items with photos, or share a product page straight from a shopping app into their own list.
Half the group forgets
Send everyone their link by email at no cost, and resend later without typing the address again.
Gift Exchange Questions
No. Nobody needs an account, a password or an email address to take part. Each person gets their own link and that is the whole thing. An account is available free if someone wants their groups kept in one place.
There is no limit. Groups run on Secret Santa Hat have gone past 280 people, and small groups of three or four work exactly the same way.
Yes. Birthdays, Galentines Day, a New Year exchange, an office party, a family gathering - they are all event types you can pick, and the generator does not care what the occasion is.
Add or remove them and reset the draw. If a change leaves the draw broken, the organizer gets a banner explaining exactly what is wrong along with a one-click reset.