How it works
Secret Santa Link replaces email invitations with private links. Here is exactly what happens from the moment you type the first name to the moment the last person reveals their match.
The five steps
- Enter participants. Type each name. Add budget, exchange date and a message that every participant will see.
- Add exclusions. Choose pairs who must not draw each other. The draw honours them in both directions.
- Draw names. The generator produces a valid assignment where nobody gets themselves or an excluded person.
- Send private links. Each participant gets a unique link. Send it via WhatsApp, iMessage, Slack, Messenger or SMS.
- Reveal. Participants tap their link and reveal their person. They can add a wishlist that only their Santa sees.
Why links instead of emails?
Three reasons. First, you often do not have everyone's email, but you do have a group chat. Second, emails from unknown senders land in spam, and every year someone "never got the email". Third, links work instantly on a phone: tap, reveal, done. A link is also easier to resend than an email if someone loses it.
How private are the links?
Each link contains a 32-character random code. That is far too long to guess, and the pages are excluded from search engines. The only way to open someone's link is to have it. Treat links like you would treat the paper slip: send each one to the right person, not to the whole group.
The organizer dashboard
After the draw you land on a dashboard that lists every participant with their link, a copy button and a WhatsApp button. A tick appears next to people who have opened their link, so you know who to nudge. Bookmark this page. It is the only place where the links live; we do not email it to you because we never asked for your email.
If someone loses their link
Open the dashboard and copy their link again. The link stays the same.
If you need to redraw
As long as nobody has opened a link, the dashboard has a redraw button. It re-assigns everyone and generates fresh links, so any old link stops working. After the first reveal the button is disabled to prevent two people from having different information.
If you want to see the assignments
There is a "show who drew whom" button hidden under organizer tools. Use it only if you are not taking part, or in an emergency. Organizers who also participate should resist.
Exclusions explained
An exclusion is a pair of people who must not draw each other. Common cases: couples, parents and their small kids, roommates, or two coworkers who already exchange gifts. Add as many as you need. If the exclusions make a valid draw impossible, the generator says so; remove one and try again.
Wishlists
Every participant's page has a wishlist box. Whatever they write is shown only to the person who drew them. Encourage the group to fill it in before a deadline. For a structured version, share the Secret Santa questionnaire.
What we do not do
- We do not send emails or texts. You send the links.
- We do not require accounts. That also means we cannot recover a dashboard you did not bookmark, so save it.
- We do not show the organizer who drew whom unless they explicitly ask.