Secret Santa Email Generator
Add names and email addresses, draw, and everyone gets their own match by email instantly. Free, and no account needed.
How the pick emails work
- Enter everyone's name and email. That's the only thing you need from your group — no sign-up for anyone.
- Set the rules. Add exclusions so couples or siblings don't match, set a budget, and add a note with the date or house rules.
- Click draw. The names are shuffled at random and nobody can draw themselves.
- Everyone gets an email right away with only their own match, plus the budget and your note.
Why email beats a group chat
Drawing names out of a hat means someone has to hold the slips, and posting matches in a shared chat spoils the surprise. With emailed picks, each person sees only who they are buying for. The organizer can take part like everyone else, because the manage page hides who has whom by default.
The budget and your note travel inside the same email, so the details are in front of people when they go shopping. Want gift ideas too? A free account adds shared wish lists, so the person who drew someone can see what that person actually wants.
Ready to draw?
It takes about a minute. Add your group, set the budget, and let the emails go out.
Questions about Secret Santa emails
How does Secret Santa by email work?
You enter each person's name and email address, click draw, and the generator emails every participant their own match straight away. Each email names only the person that recipient is buying for — not the full list, and not who has them.
What does the Secret Santa email say?
It tells the recipient who they're buying for, along with the budget and any note or house rules you added when you set up the draw, so there's no separate message to send.
Can the organizer see who got who?
Not by default. Picks go straight to each participant's inbox, and new draws hide who is buying for whom on the manage page, so you can resend picks and fix email addresses without spoiling your own surprise.
What if someone doesn't get their email?
Ask them to check their spam or promotions folder first — that's where it almost always ends up. If it truly didn't arrive, the organizer can resend it from the manage page, and if you lose your manage link you can get a fresh one at secretsantagenerator.com/list.
Do participants need an account to get their email?
No. For a one-off draw nobody needs an account — just a working email address.
Can I fix a wrong email address?
Yes. Open your manage page and correct the address, then resend that person's pick.