Secret Santa ideas for every budget, plus a fair name draw
Running Secret Santa means picking a price limit, drawing names without someone getting themselves, and then finding a gift for a coworker you barely know. This prompt has your todo.is agent do the draw, write the rules, and suggest gifts under the limit that work for almost anyone.
The prompt
- Help me organise Secret Santa for [GROUP]. Participants: [NAMES AND ANY LIKES]. The price limit is [PRICE LIMIT] and we exchange on [EXCHANGE DATE]. Draw names so nobody gets themselves or [PAIRS TO AVOID]. Give me a private list of who buys for whom in a separate file only I open, and write a short message I can send each person telling them only their own match. Write simple rules and an invite text. Then give 20 gift ideas under the limit in 4 groups (food and drink, desk and home, fun, self-care), with a link to an example each. For people with listed likes, suggest 3 personal ideas.
What to change
- [GROUP]: E.g. "our marketing team of 12", "my family", "friends from book club".
- [NAMES AND ANY LIKES]: E.g. "Ana (coffee, plants), Ben (running), Chloe, Dev (board games)…". Likes are optional.
- [PRICE LIMIT]: With currency, e.g. "20 EUR".
- [EXCHANGE DATE]: E.g. "Friday 19 December at the team lunch".
- [PAIRS TO AVOID]: E.g. "couples", "Ben and Dev already exchange gifts", or "none".
Example result
- Secret Santa: marketing team of 12
- Limit: 20 · exchange Friday 19 December at the team lunch
- The draw
- Done. Nobody has themselves; Ben and Dev don't get each other. The full list is in Secret_Santa_Matches.pdf (only you should open it).
- Private message for each person
- "Hi Ana! For our Secret Santa you're buying for Chloe. Limit 20. Exchange is Friday 19 December at lunch. Keep it secret!"
- Rules
- • Stick to the 20 limit
- • Wrap it with the recipient's name on the label, not yours
- • Nothing offensive or too personal; the team should be happy to open it in public
- • If you're stuck, there's a list of ideas below
- Invite text
- "Secret Santa is on! Reply by Friday 5 December if you're in. Limit 20. Gifts open at our team lunch on 19 December."
- 20 gift ideas under 20
- Food and drink
- • Speciality coffee or tea sampler
- • Hot chocolate kit with marshmallows
- • Fancy olive oil or hot sauce trio
- • Local chocolate bar selection
- • Popcorn kit with seasonings
- Desk and home
- • Small desk plant (snake plant or succulent)
- • Good notebook and pen
- • Wireless phone stand
- • Scented candle
- • Funny mug
- Fun
- • Card game for parties (short games work at the office)
- • 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle
- • Mini desk basketball
- • Book of trivia or puzzles
- • Retro snacks box
- Self-care
- • Hand cream and lip balm set
- • Cosy socks
- • Heat pack for the neck
- • Bath salts
- • Sleep mask and lavender spray
- Personal ideas from the likes you gave
- • Ana (coffee, plants): a pour-over coffee kit, a small herb growing kit, a mug that says "plant mum"
- • Ben (running): reflective armband, running socks, energy gel sampler
- • Dev (board games): a small 2-player card game, dice set, a game night snack box
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and add your group, names, price limit and any pairs to avoid.
- Paste it on the Today screen in todo.is or send it to your agent on Slack or WhatsApp.
- You get a private match file, a message for each person, rules, an invite text and 20 gift ideas.
- Send each person their own message. If someone drops out, ask your agent to redraw only the affected matches.
Tips for a better result
- Don't open the match file if you want to play too; ask your agent to send each person their match by email directly (approve the sends first).
- Agree the price limit before the draw and keep it low for office groups so nobody feels pressure.
- Ask each person for one like and one dislike; it makes gifts much better.
- For remote teams, ask for ideas that ship easily or digital gifts, and add each person's delivery area.
Secret Santa ideas: FAQ
- How much should you spend on Secret Santa? Most groups set a limit of about 10 to 30 in their currency. Lower limits work best at work.
- What is a good Secret Santa gift for a coworker? Something useful or edible that suits anyone: good coffee, a desk plant, a nice notebook, a card game or a cosy accessory.
- Can I play if I'm the organiser? Yes. Ask your agent to send the matches directly to each person so you don't see them.
- Can it run a virtual Secret Santa? Yes. Say it's remote and your agent suggests gifts that ship to each person and plans a video-call reveal.
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