Secret Santa

For episodes of TV sitcoms, see Secret Santa (The Office) and Secret Santa (30 Rock).

Secret Santa is a Western Christmas tradition in which members of a group or community are randomly assigned a person to whom they give a gift. The identity of the gift giver is to remain a secret and should not be revealed.

Deriving from the Christian tradition, the ritual is known as Secret Santa in the United States and the United Kingdom; as Kris Kringel or Kris Kindle (Christkindl) in Ireland; as Wichteln, Secret Santa, Kris Kringle, Chris Kindle (Christkindl) or Engerl-Bengerl in parts of Austria; as Secret Santa or Kris Kringle in Canada and Australia; as Secret Santa, Kris Kringle, or Monito-Monita in the Philippines; as Angelito in the Dominican Republic; and as Wichteln or Julklapp in Germany. Wichteln is what a Wichtel, a wight, does, a good deed. In Poland, the tradition is celebrated on the day of 6 December (Mikołajki), in Belgium and the Netherlands on 5 December (Sinterklaas), in Ukraine on 19 December (Mykolay). All of these names derive from traditional Christmas gift-bringers: the American custom is named after Santa Claus, or St Nicholas (Poland and Ukraine), while Chris Kindle and Kris Kringle are both corruptions of the original name of the Austrian gift-bringer Christkindl, which means the "Christ Child". Exceptions are the UK (where the traditional gift-bringer is Father Christmas) and the Philippines (which has the Three Kings). Spain, Portugal and most places in Latin America use amigo secreto ("secret friend"), amigo invisible/invisível ("invisible friend"), and also amigo oculto ("hidden friend") in parts of Brazil. In Israel, this game is called גמד וענק ("a dwarf and a giant") and is mostly played during Purim.

Related games

Thieving Secret Santa/Stealing Secret Santa/White Elephant/Yankee Swap/Grab Bag

Main article: White elephant gift exchange

In this completely different game, participants (players) bring one gift each which is potentially suitable or interesting to any of the other participants. The gifts should be wrapped in such a way as to disguise their nature. Ideally, the provider of each gift should not be disclosed when setting up the game. Players take turns and can either open a new gift or steal a previously opened gift. This game is more commonly known as the white elephant gift exchange, or Yankee Swap.

Guessing

In this version, each participant brings a gift for their assigned person, with a letter. This letter may or may not have hints on who the giver might be, depending on the rules participants have established. Each receiver must guess who made the gift.

Secret Casino Santa

In this version, each person buys a gift for specific amount, not for anyone specifically. Each person also puts in a specific amount of money into a pot. Who goes first in gift selection can be determined by random selection. The options are:

• Option A: Choose a gift
• Option B: Do not choose a gift, and go for Money.
• Option C: Put your name in to win all the unwanted gifts by those who went for Option B.

At the end, the gifts that were chosen are opened and the winner of the money and leftover gifts are drawn.

Conspiracy Santa

In this version, participants engage in a "conspiracy" where all participants work together to select a gift for a single participant without that participant's direct involvement or knowledge. Many such individual "conspiracies" run concurrently, one for each participant. Email threads or web apps are commonly used to manage each "conspiracy" until a consensus is made, wherein the gift is purchased by a decided upon participant and given at a later date. A common theme of Conspiracy Santa is collectively learning about participants, making it popular for workplaces and schools.

Secret Santa online

The tradition of Secret Santa is becoming increasingly popular in online communities.

There are several Secret Santa Generators that tell every participant in a group for whom to buy a gift. This is especially useful for groups who can't meet in person to draw the names from a hat or bowl before the Secret Santa event.

History

Organizing a Secret Santa is a popular holiday tradition that has its roots in Scandinavia in the early 20th century. The practice was originally known as "Julklapp," which means "Christmas present" in Swedish. It was a way for people to exchange gifts without knowing who they were receiving a gift from, adding an element of surprise and excitement to the tradition of gift-giving.

As the concept of Secret Santa spread to other parts of the world, it evolved and took on different forms. In the United States, Secret Santa became popular in the 1950s and 1960s as a way for colleagues to exchange gifts in the workplace without the need for everyone to buy a gift for everyone else. This was especially popular in large offices where buying a gift for everyone could be expensive and time-consuming.

Over time, the practice of Secret Santa has become a fun and lighthearted way for friends, family, and colleagues to exchange gifts during the holiday season. The rules and traditions of Secret Santa can vary depending on the group, but the basic idea remains the same: each person draws a name from a hat and buys a gift for the person they drew without revealing their identity until the gift is given.

In recent years, technology has made organizing a Secret Santa easier than ever. Online gift exchanges, such as Happy Giftlist and DrawNames, allow people to draw names and exchange gifts virtually. These platforms also offer features such as wish lists, anonymous messaging, and automated reminders to help make the process smoother and more organized.