Secret Santa with colleagues: rules, budget and three variations
How to set up Secret Santa at work, which agreements to make beforehand, three variations that make it more fun and gift ideas by budget.
Secret Santa is the Christmas version of drawing names: everyone secretly buys a small present for one colleague, and at the Christmas drinks everyone unwraps at the same time. It costs little, everyone gets something and it always produces stories. Below you’ll read how to set it up, which rules to agree beforehand, three fun variants and gift ideas by budget.
How to set it up
- Ask who’s taking part. Make taking part voluntary. Not everyone celebrates Christmas or is waiting for a present from a colleague.
- Agree a budget. One fixed amount for everyone, usually between €10 and €20.
- Draw the names. At the office, from a Santa hat, or with an online name-drawing tool if not everyone is there.
- Ask for wishes. Two or three things they like, or something they definitely don’t want. That saves you from a cupboard full of mugs.
- Pick a moment. The Christmas drinks, the last working day or the lunch before the holidays.
Three variants that make it more fun
White Elephant
Everyone brings one wrapped present for the pile. In turn you take a new present or you steal one that someone else has already unwrapped. Anyone who has a present stolen gets to choose again. A present can be stolen at most twice, after which it belongs to its latest owner. Works well for groups of ten to thirty people.
The dice game
All the presents are in the middle. In turn, everyone rolls a die. On a six you take a present, on a one you pass one on to the left, on a five you swap with anyone you like. Set a timer for ten minutes, and when it runs out, everyone keeps what they’ve got. Quick and chaotic, just right for drinks.
Guess your Santa
Each present comes with a poem or three hints about the giver, with no name. The recipient reads them out and the group guesses who it was. That turns unwrapping into a game everyone’s involved in.
Gift ideas by budget
Up to €10
- A mug with a joke only your department gets
- Luxury chocolate or a jar of homemade jam
- A card game for the break
- Warm socks with a Christmas pattern
- A little plant for the desk
Up to €15
- A cookbook with recipes for the office
- A thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle
- Good coffee beans or tea from a specialist shop
- A notebook with their name on it
- A board game for two
Up to €20
- A voucher for the lunch spot around the corner
- A book that fits the colleague’s hobby
- A small Bluetooth speaker
- A bottle of wine with a personal label
- A cinema ticket
Where it often goes wrong
- No budget agreed. Then one person gives a €30 bottle of wine and another a key ring.
- Someone draws themselves. Draw again, or use a name-drawing tool that rules that out.
- Gifts that are too funny. A joke is fine, but keep it friendly. What’s funny to the group can be painful for the recipient.
- Someone is off sick on the day itself. Put the present on their desk, and let them join the unwrapping by video call if they like.
More to do at the Christmas drinks
Secret Santa fills a quarter of an hour. If you’d like to fill the rest of the evening, the Christmas quiz with a hundred questions and your own Christmas bingo go well with it. Rather have it taken care of? On the Christmas activities page you’ll find five options that we run at your venue, from the Christmas show to a scavenger hunt through Enschede.
Frequently asked questions
What’s a good budget for Secret Santa at work?
Between €10 and €20 is the most common in the Netherlands. Low enough that nobody feels awkward, high enough for something nice. Agree one fixed amount and stick to it, because a present that’s clearly more expensive feels uncomfortable for the recipient.
How do you draw names if not everyone is in the office?
Use an online name-drawing tool: everyone enters their name and email address and is automatically sent a name, without the organiser knowing who has whom. Most of these tools also let you add a wish list.
What’s the difference between Secret Santa and White Elephant?
With Secret Santa you buy a present for one colleague whose name you’ve drawn. With White Elephant everyone brings one present for the pile, and during the game you can take other people’s presents. White Elephant is busier and more of a game, Secret Santa is more personal.
Do you have to reveal who your Secret Santa was?
You agree that beforehand. In most workplaces it’s revealed after the unwrapping, or everyone gets to guess who bought their present. The guessing is often the best part.
More to do at the Christmas drinks?
As well as the presents, we can run a Christmas show, Christmas bingo or a scavenger hunt at your venue. Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll think along with you.
View the Christmas activities
