Setting Up the Swap
- 1
Name it and pick the type
Choose Yankee Swap as the event type, which sets the group up to draw a numbered order rather than pairing people off.
- 2
Set the spending limit
One limit for everyone, shown on every page. A shared limit keeps the gifts at a similar value.
- 3
Add everyone bringing a gift
Type names or paste a list. An organizer who is not participating can be left out of the order.
- 4
Send out the numbers
Each person opens their own link and sees the number they drew, and nothing about anyone else. Email invites are free.
What the Generator Does and What the Group Does
The generator draws the order before the party. The game itself is played in person.
It draws the order
A random position from one to the number of people playing, with each person shown only their own. No slips of paper or numbers in a bowl are needed.
House rules are set by the group
Steal limits, whether a gift freezes after three, whether number one gets a final swap at the end. The app does not enforce any of these rules. Agree on them before the game starts.
It keeps track of the list and the limit
Who is in, who dropped out, and what everyone is spending. Add or remove someone and the order is drawn again so no one is left without a turn.
It does not need anyone to sign up
No accounts, no app, no passwords. Each person gets a link, opens it, and sees their number.
Yankee Swap Themes
Give the swap its own look. The theme reaches every page of the group, the invite, the emails and the link preview in a group chat. Gingerbread and Black Tie are the usual picks for a Yankee Swap. Themes are a paid upgrade.
GingerbreadWarm brown, with a cookie jar
Black TieNavy and gold, with a top hat
Yankee Swap Questions
Yes. You can share one link instead of entering everyone yourself, and each person adds their own name and email address. You set how many can join and when the link closes, and you draw names when you are ready.
They are nearly the same game, and the setup here is identical. Both have everyone bring one wrapped gift and take turns picking or stealing, and both need a running order rather than assigned recipients. The names tend to be regional. It is a Yankee Swap in New England, a White Elephant more widely, and a Dirty Santa across much of the South, each of which has a page of its own below. Yankee Swap gifts are more often things people want rather than gag gifts.
No. The generator draws the order, and the game is played in person by the rules the group agrees on. Steal caps and a final swap for the first player are up to the group.
It works from two upward, and works best from about six, when there are enough gifts open for stealing to be worth doing. There is no upper limit.
Across all the exchanges run on Secret Santa Hat the median limit is a little under thirty dollars. Set it in the app so it shows on every page.
Yes. Unlimited groups and participants, the order, the guest list, the spending limit and email invites all cost nothing and need no account. Text message and WhatsApp are an optional paid upgrade.