Secret Santa games and reveal ideas

Games for the moment the gifts come out – at work, in class, with the family, with friends or on a video call. Each one takes a minute to explain and needs little more than the gifts.

Start a Secret Santa list

Games for the gift exchange

Chain of clues

Whoever starts describes the person they drew with clues – “This is someone who…” – until the others guess who it is. That person gets the gift, then describes the person they drew, and so on. A draw on santa.haus is always one circle, so the chain passes through everyone without a break, and the last gift goes to whoever started.

For: 5 people or more at one table – the classic revelação of a Brazilian amigo secreto. You need: the gifts and the names drawn.

Guess who your Santa is

Before the party, ask your Santa questions in anonymous messages on santa.haus: under your own letter, with “Send to your Santa”. At the party everyone writes down a guess before opening the gift, then the Santas own up; a point for each right guess. Messages work after the draw, except on lists where every letter goes to the organizer. santa.haus never tells you who your Santa is.

Questions and hints to send: Secret Santa clues and questions to send anonymously.

For: friends, coworkers, family – when there are a few days between the draw and the party. You need: paper and pens.

A riddle on the gift tag

Instead of a name, Santa writes a short rhyming riddle about themselves on the gift tag: a hobby, a habit, a favourite mug. The person who gets the gift reads it out loud and guesses who it's from.

Ready-made clues: “Guess who” poems. Tags to print: Printable gift tags.

For: anyone who likes words; it goes well with a round of guessing. You need: a gift tag and a pen.

The numbered gift sack

Start the list with “A number instead of the name”: each Santa writes the number from the drawn letter on the parcel, and all the parcels go into one sack. The gift sack opens on santa.haus at the time you set, and everyone gets the number of their own parcel. Then the youngest person – or the organizer – hands out the parcels by number.

Start a list with numbers. Numbers for the parcels: Printable gift tags.

For: work, class, a big family under one tree. You need: a sack or a big box and a number on each parcel.

Guess what's inside

Before opening, shake the parcel, weigh it in your hand and say out loud what you think is inside. The others call out their guesses too, and whoever comes closest opens next.

For: everyone, kids especially. You need: wrapped gifts – nothing else.

Unwrapping in mittens

Put on thick winter mittens or oven gloves and unwrap your parcel against the clock – a minute on a phone timer. Plenty of tape and ribbon make it funnier.

For: family, class, the office party. You need: one pair of mittens passed around and a phone.

Gift charades

After opening, show what you got without a word: mime how you would use it. The others guess what it is before you hold it up.

For: friends and family; best with odd or funny gifts. You need: nothing.

A dice swap for a pile of extras

Besides the drawn gifts, everyone puts a small extra on one pile. Roll a die in turns: a 6 takes a gift from the pile; once it's empty, a 6 takes one from someone else until the timer rings. Or steal in turns with the classic rules.

The rules, with a die and a timer online: White Elephant rules and the dice game. Stealing in turns: the classic rules.

For: the office party, a big family, friends. You need: a die, a timer and one small extra per person.

Opening on camera

On a video call, open the parcels one at a time – in the order of the numbers, if your list has them. Before each one is opened, everyone types a guess in the chat: what's inside, and who it's from.

The draw, addresses and posting: Virtual Secret Santa.

For: remote teams, family and friends far apart. You need: a video call and the parcels posted in time.

When to reveal who the Santa was

  1. Right away. Each Santa hands over the gift and says it's from them. Quick, and the easiest with small children.
  2. After a round of guessing. First everyone guesses – with the chain of clues or written guesses – then the Santas own up.
  3. Never. The secret stays. To say thank you, write to your Santa under your own letter with “Send to your Santa”: the message gets there, and you still don't know who it is.

santa.haus shows nobody who drew whom – not even the organizer: everyone sees only the person they drew. When the secret comes out – and whether it does – is up to each Santa.

Get the games ready on santa.haus

What’s your elf name?

Something for a shared screen or the TV: Christmas emoji quiz: guess the film, the song and the tradition.

Start a Secret Santa list

Know someone who could use this? Send this page to whoever organizes the draw at work, at school or in the family.