Secret Santa

Nobody draws their own name this year

Send one link and Joinue draws the names. Guests reply with their name and don't need an account.

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Free, no ads
Guests don't need an account
Couples kept apart
Wishlists built in

The draw

Better than a hat

With a hat, someone pulls their own name, or two people pull each other.

Nobody draws themselves.
Nobody draws who drew them (once there are three).
Couples you keep apart never draw each other.
The organizer plays too, without seeing who drew whom.
Someone drops out? Usually only one match changes.

How it works

Step 1: Make the event
Pick Secret Santa and a date. The budget is under More options.
Step 2: Send one link
Guests reply with their name, and they don't need an account.
Step 3: Draw names
Redraw all you like. Nobody sees a name until you say so.
Step 4: Send the matches
Tap Release. Everyone sees theirs, link guests on the phone they used.

Every setting is optional

Skip them all and you get a classic draw of everyone who said yes.

Budget on every card

Write it how you'd say it. “Under $20” works.

Keep people apart

Couples, roommates, siblings who already know each other's sizes.

Sit someone out

Organizing but not buying? Leave yourself out of the draw.

Include the Maybes

Off by default, because Maybes don't always show.

Wishlists

Anyone signed in writes one. Only their Santa reads it.

Who's opened theirs

Nudge the stragglers without spoiling anything.

Secret Santa questions

No. Only the organizer does. Guests answer the link with their name, and once you send the names out, their match is on the invite, on the phone they answered from. If they leave an email, Joinue sends a note.

Yes. Mark them as a pair and neither one draws the other. If your pairs rule out every possible draw, Joinue tells you, and you can drop one.

Yes. Your board never shows who drew whom, only who has a match and who has opened it. If you'd rather just run it, sit yourself out.

Usually whoever drew them takes their match, so one card changes. If names are already out, tap Update the draw and only the people affected hear.

No, but they can read their match's. Writing one takes a free Joinue account, and only the person who draws them sees it.

At least two, though with two there is one possible draw and everyone knows it. Three or more is where it gets interesting.

Running a good one

Someone always ends up holding the hat

Make it you, and skip the hat.

Start a Secret Santa