About My Secret Santa Generator
Last updated: October 3, 2026
My Secret Santa Generator draws names for your gift exchange in a few minutes. Add everyone in the group, mark anyone who shouldn't be paired, and let each person tap their own name to see who they're shopping for.
Who runs it
I'm Joan Ramos. I make little websites that are free for everyone, and I learned how I want them to work from the very first one.
It was called Mary's Printables, a spot for free pages you could print, and I thought only a few people would ever find it. Before long, my inbox told a different story. A teacher wrote that she'd found the exact worksheet her class was missing. A parent said a chart was helping their child get through a rough patch. Someone else had to print something in a last-minute scramble and was relieved it was there.
Each of them was grateful for the same few things: the page had what they needed, it worked on the first try, and it didn't want anything from them. Those three things guide every site I've made since.
The problem this solves
Drawing names out of a hat sounds easy until someone pulls their own name, a couple ends up buying for each other, or half the group lives in another city.
This takes care of the draw for you. Nobody gets themselves, the people you want kept apart stay apart, and you can run the whole exchange even if the group never meets until the party.
What makes a good Secret Santa
The best exchanges are the ones where everyone knows the plan before they start shopping. Agree on the date, pick a theme if you like one, and ask each person to share a short wishlist. A few honest hints, like "I love tea" or "no more mugs, please," make shopping easier and the gifts better.
It also helps to keep partners and housemates from drawing each other, so everyone gets a real surprise.
What you get
- A simple four-step setup: event details, people, the draw and the reveal
- Wishlists for each person, shown when their Secret Santa finds out who they have
- Exclusions, so couples or housemates never draw each other
- A fair draw where nobody ever gets their own name
- Tap-your-name reveals with a little confetti and a few gift ideas
- A shareable link to drop into your group chat
- An organizer view showing every match in one list
- Printable gift tags in 5 designs, one for each person
- Your exchange saved in your browser, so you can pick up where you left off
- Nothing to install and no account
If something's off
If the draw gets stuck, a link won't open, or the gift tags print oddly, write to me at [email protected]. Your email comes right to me.
My Secret Santa Generator is one of the free tools I make at FriendlyApps.