How to Host a Virtual Secret Santa + Printable Questionnaires

The holiday season is finally upon us, which means it’s time to play Secret Santa again! If you are unfamiliar with Secret Santa, it’s a popular gift exchange that is usually played with a large group of people. Each person who plays is put into a name generator. Participants then randomly draw someone else’s name to determine who they will be buying a gift for. The “Secret Santa” doesn’t reveal itself until after the gift is given.

Secret Santa has both advantages and disadvantages. It’s a more budget-friendly option since you only have one designated person on your list. A disadvantage of playing is you may not know the person you drew very well. This can make buying a gift difficult since you won’t know much about what they’d like. However, spin some holiday cheer on it and take it as an opportunity to get to know others in the group better.

Since things are a little different this year, most Secret Santa exchanges will be virtual. However, this doesn’t mean all the fun is gone. Planning a virtual Secret Santa is just as easy as planning a real one. Down below we go over how you can plan for a virtual gift exchange, along with some fun questionnaires to help facilitate the process. 

How to Start the Secret Santa Exchange

The first step in planning a Secret is getting people to participate. Some people you may want to play Secret Santa with can include your friends, family, and co-workers. Once you know everyone who wants to play, have them input their names on a Google sheet. Then, designate someone to input all the names and emails of the participants in an online Secret Santa generator. 

Some generators ask for one person to input all the names, and others allow players to do it themselves with a unique link. The generator will automatically assign players to each other for the gift exchange. Make sure everyone knows who they are assigned to, and keep them in the loop of any deadlines they need to look out for during the exchange.

Secret Santa Questionnaire Ideas and How to Distribute Them Virtually

As mentioned earlier, sometimes you may not know your designated person too well. It can be hard to figure out what they want as a present or what they could use. To make gift-giving easier, have everyone participating fill out a questionnaire. This will take a lot of pressure off of the gift giver by giving them an easier time to find a gift.

With all things virtual, we’ll need to be creative in how we distribute the questionnaires and fill them out. You can email the questionnaire printables to all those who are participating. Have them fill out the form, and then send it in a group chat with all the participants. 

Another alternative is to just copy and paste the questions onto a Google sheet or doc. From there, everyone can share their own responses with other participants. The “Secret Santa” can then check the sheet to see what their designated person likes and dislikes.

The following are two questionnaire ideas you can use in your Secret Santa exchange:

This Versus That” Questionnaire

'secret-santa-this-or-that-questionnaire

Around the holidays, people can get very busy. They may not have the time to fill out a long questionnaire. A “this versus that” questionnaire is great for busy participants. All they need to do is pick a choice between two options. 

Download our printable questionnaire for a pre-written framework you can send out to participants. Here are a few of the questions you will find on there: 

●    Beer vs Wine?
●    Apple vs Android?
●    Cats vs Dogs?
●    Introvert vs Extrovert?

The Basics About You Questionnaire

'secret-santa-the-basics-questionnaire 

Some people want a little more insight into what their designated person likes. A questionnaire that uses basic questions for respondents to fill out is a great option for this. This requires a little less digging when it comes to finding the perfect gift.

Download our printable for a full set of questions for your group. The following questions are a few examples of what is included:

●    Your favorite drink is …?
●    Your favorite color is …?
●    Your favorite store is …?
●    Your favorite restaurant is …?

How to Celebrate and Send the Gifts Virtually

The fun part of Secret Santa is delivering the gifts and opening them! If you live close to your designated participant, you may be able to drop the gift off on their doorstep. If you live farther away you’ll need to either order it directly to the person’s address or ship it out to them yourself. Make sure to also set up a specific deadline for all the gifts to be delivered promptly.

If your group wants to celebrate the holidays together, consider having a Secret Santa Zoom party! Once everyone has received their gifts, set up a time and date for people to jump on a video call together. Go one by one and have each participant open their present from their Secret Santa. This is not required, but it can be a fun way for the Secret Santas to reveal themselves.

Secret Santa is a fun tradition that has been played for many years. Although things are virtual now, it doesn’t mean the fun has to stop here. There are many ways you can plan a virtual Secret Santa game both efficiently and effectively. Take a look at Redbubble’s post on Secret Santa questionnaires for more ways to facilitate the exchange.
 

 

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