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Virtual Secret Santa for remote teams

A virtual Secret Santa works just like the office version, except names are drawn online, gifts are shipped or sent digitally, and everyone opens them together on a video call. With a little planning it's one of the nicest things a remote or hybrid team can do in December.

Start a free draw Free Secret Santa generator. No sign-up, no emails, about a minute.

How a virtual Secret Santa works

1. The organizer invites the team and sets a budget, a "ship by" date and the date of the unboxing call.
2. Names are drawn online, and each person gets a private link showing who they're buying for.
3. Everyone adds a wishlist with ideas and, if they're happy to, shipping details for their Secret Santa.
4. Gifts are ordered and shipped directly to each giftee, or sent as a digital gift.
5. The team meets on a video call and opens gifts together.

Drawing names online

Secret Santa Claws was built for exactly this. Type in your teammates' names, add the budget and the call date, and get one private link per person. Paste each link into a direct message in Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat or whatever your team uses. Don't post links in a shared channel; each one reveals that person's giftee.

No emails or accounts are needed, the organizer never sees the pairings, and the organizer page shows who has opened their link. Chat app link previews don't count as opened, so the status stays accurate.

Shipping and addresses

Addresses are the trickiest part of a remote exchange, so handle them with care:

• Never collect addresses in a shared doc or channel.
• Let people choose. Anyone comfortable sharing can add a shipping note to their wishlist; on Secret Santa Claws only their Secret Santa can see it, and it's deleted automatically after the season.
• Offer an alternative. People who'd rather not share an address can ask for a digital gift card, an e-book, a subscription or a donation in their name.
• Ship directly from the retailer with gift wrap or a gift note where available, so the gift arrives ready to open.

Timing

Shipping takes longer in December. Set a "ship by" date at least ten days before the unboxing call, and earlier for anyone in another country. Ask everyone to keep their gift wrapped until the call. A sample plan:

• Week 1: invite, confirm who's in, draw names and send links.
• Week 2: wishlists filled in; order gifts.
• Week 3: ship-by date; gifts arrive and stay wrapped.
• Week 4: unboxing call.

International teams

• Set the budget in one currency and let people convert it locally.
• Order from a store in the giftee's country to avoid customs fees and long delays.
• Food and liquids often can't cross borders, so pick something else for international giftees.
• If shipping is impractical, digital gifts are a perfectly good default.

Hosting the unboxing call

• Keep it to 30 to 45 minutes and put it in everyone's calendar early.
• Go around one at a time: open the gift on camera, then guess who your Secret Santa was.
• For big teams, use breakout rooms of six to eight people.
• Record nothing unless everyone agrees.
• If a gift hasn't arrived, the person can still join and open it later.

Gift ideas that suit remote teammates

Small, light things that improve a home desk work well: a mug warmer, a video call light, a desk mat or a coffee sampler. See the full list in Secret Santa gifts for remote teams.

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Frequently asked questions

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