Secret Santa Organiser

Who this is for

Run the Secret Santa from one sheet. Record who is taking part, the spending limit the group agreed, who drew whom and what each person likes, then tick off gifts as they are bought and handed in.

The person organising a Secret Santa for an office, club, class or family, who needs to know the draw is fair and that every gift will arrive on the day.

What this helps you track

• Everyone taking part and who they are giving to
• Gift likes, dislikes and allergies for each person
• The spending limit the group agreed
• Which gifts are bought and which have reached the organiser
• The steps from sign-up to exchange day

How to use it

1. Write the group, the exchange date, the spending limit the group agreed and your name at the top.
2. List everyone taking part and ask each for a line of likes, dislikes and anything they cannot have.
3. Hold the draw, write who each person is giving to, and keep the sheet private if you are taking part yourself.
4. Tick gift bought as people confirm, and gift received when it reaches you for the exchange.
5. Work down the checklist so reminders go out and the exchange is arranged. The browser version saves in your own browser.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How do we set the spending limit?

Agree it as a group before the draw, so nobody is left out by a figure they cannot manage. The sheet has a field for the limit you agree; it does not suggest one.

How do I stop someone drawing themselves?

Draw names from a hat and redraw if anyone gets their own, or use an online draw and copy the results into the giving to column. If you are in it, ask someone else to hold the list.

What if someone drops out after the draw?

Link the person who was giving to them with the person they were meant to give to, so the chain stays whole. Note the change in the notes column so you remember why.

Why a gift received column?

For exchanges where gifts are handed to the organiser first, such as an office party. It shows at a glance whose gift has not arrived while there is still time to chase.