Virtual Secret Santa
For remote teams and families in different cities: draw names online, share addresses privately and chat with your recipient anonymously.
- Free
- Addresses stay private
- No email or sign-up
In short. Create a game, set how gifts change hands to “By post” or “To a pickup point”, and share the link. Everyone adds their own address after joining, and only their Secret Santa sees it; addresses are deleted 30 days after the exchange. Ask your recipient anything in an anonymous chat, order a gift that ships straight to them, and open everything together on a video call.
How virtual Secret Santa works
The same game as in the office, plus one extra detail: an address only the right person can see.
Pick how gifts travel
In person, a pickup point or the mail. Undecided? Choose later in the settings.
Share one link
Teammates in any city open it in a browser, with no account to create.
Wishes and an address
After joining, everyone writes wishes and adds where their gift should go.
Draw, ship, unbox
Your recipient and their address appear after the draw. Ship by the date and open gifts together on a call.
Built for people who aren't in the same room
Four things that make a long-distance exchange feel as easy as passing a box across the desk.
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Addresses stay private
Each player adds a postal address or a pickup point with a phone number. Only their Secret Santa sees it, with a button to copy everything at once, and it's deleted 30 days after the exchange.
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Ask without giving yourself away
Shoe size, favorite coffee, what they already own: ask in the anonymous chat. Links and phone numbers are filtered out, so your name stays off the screen.
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Gift ideas that ship
Ideas from the catalog come with store links and stay within the game's budget, so you can order straight to your recipient's address.
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Reminders that keep shipping on time
Three days before the exchange and again the day before, everyone with the app gets a nudge, which is exactly when a late order still makes it.
Virtual Secret Santa ideas that actually work
Set a shipping deadline
Pick an exchange date at least a week after the carriers' holiday cutoff, and say in the game description that gifts should be ordered by then.
Decide about shipping costs
Agree whether the budget includes shipping. Ordering from a store with free delivery keeps it simple.
Ship from the store
Order the gift straight to your recipient's address and add a gift note without your name. The return address won't give you away.
Unbox together on a call
Schedule a 30-minute video call on the exchange day. Opening gifts one at a time is half the fun.
Digital gifts are fine
A subscription, an e-gift card or an online class works well when shipping across borders is slow or expensive.
Mind the time zones
The draw runs at noon in the game's time zone. Mention the time zone in the description if the team is spread out.
Gifts that are easy to ship
Lists with prices and store links, small enough to mail and good enough to open on camera.
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More about Secret Santa
Office Secret Santa
For teams in one office: a link in the team chat and a scheduled draw.
Family Secret Santa
Couples stay apart, and grandparents play without a phone.
Secret Santa app
Push reminders and a gift search for your recipient.
How to do Secret Santa
The organizer’s checklist, from invites to exchange day.
FAQ
Everyone joins the same online game from a link, writes their wishes and adds a shipping address. After the draw each person sees their recipient and that recipient's address, orders a gift that ships, and the group opens gifts together on a video call.
Only your Secret Santa. The organizer and other players don't see it, and it's deleted 30 days after the exchange.
Order it straight from the store to your recipient's address and leave your name off the gift note. The return address will be the store's.
Yes. Shipping across borders takes longer, so set the exchange date with time to spare, or agree that digital gifts are fine.
Yes. Set the exchange to “In person” or “Not decided yet” and agree on digital gifts such as e-gift cards or subscriptions.
Yes. Creating a game, joining, the draw, wishes and the chat are free, with no email or sign-up.
Updated October 18, 2026
Reminders for the whole team
In the GIFTbase app you get reminders about the draw and the shipping date, plus gift ideas from your recipient's wishes. Everyone else can play in the browser.
