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The short answer A Secret Santa questionnaire is a short form everyone fills in before names are drawn, so each Santa knows what their person likes, what to skip and what fits the budget. Our free printable has ten fill-in cards (favorites, snacks, hobbies, sizes, a “please don’t” card and more) that you can personalize with your group’s name. Below you’ll find 30 more questions sorted by group, a fair way to draw names, and a timeline from sign-up to the reveal.
Secret Santa Questionnaire
How to play: Print one set (two pages) for each person in the swap, and swap or rewrite any card that doesn't fit your group. Everyone fills in their cards and writes their name on the From line. The organizer collects them and draws names.
- My favorite colors, scents and flavors
- Snacks and treats I'd happily eat (and any I can't)
- Hobbies, teams or shows I'm into lately
- Something small I'd use every day
- Please don't get me (allergies, clutter, things I already have)
- My sizes (shirt, socks, gloves) and favorite store or coffee shop
- A gift under the budget I'd love to get
- A fun fact my Secret Santa might not know about me
- My go-to drink: coffee, tea, cocoa or something else
- Cozy, useful, funny or fancy? Rank them
The cards above print four to a page. Hand each person a set, collect them when names are drawn, then give every Santa the cards that belong to the person they picked. They cut apart, so a Santa can keep one in a wallet while shopping.
Change any card in the Game Maker before you print. An office swap might drop the sizes card; a family swap might add “Wish list link” or “Books I’ve already read this year.” Add your group’s name and it prints across the top.
Why bother with a questionnaire?
Because the alternative is a drawer full of candles. Most Secret Santa gifts go wrong for one of four reasons: the giver doesn’t know the person, guesses an allergy wrong, buys something the person already owns, or overshoots the budget and makes everyone else look cheap. A two-minute form fixes all four.
It also takes the pressure off quiet people. Nobody has to drop hints in the break room. They write “dark chocolate, no nuts, I collect enamel pins” and they’re done.
Secret Santa questions to ask
Pick 8 to 12 for a printed form. Any more and people start skipping lines. These are grouped so you can mix and match.
The basics
- What are your favorite colors?
- Favorite scent, or “no scents, please”?
- Coffee, tea, cocoa or none of the above?
- Sweet or salty snacks?
- Any food allergies or diet rules your Santa should know?
- Favorite store, coffee shop or restaurant nearby?
- Shirt size, sock size or glove size (only if you’re comfortable sharing)?
What you’re into
- What hobby are you into right now?
- A team, band or show you’d wear on a mug?
- Do you read? Paper, ebook or audiobook?
- Do you cook or bake? What do you make most?
- Indoor person, outdoor person or both?
- Do you have pets? Names and kinds, please.
- Something you collect, even a little bit?
Help your Santa shop
- Something small you’d use every day.
- Something you keep meaning to buy for yourself.
- Do you prefer cozy, useful, funny or fancy gifts?
- Gift cards: yes, no, or only for one place?
- What’s one thing you already have too many of?
- Please don’t get me…
- Is a homemade gift welcome?
- Link to a wish list, if you keep one.
Just for fun
- Your favorite holiday treat?
- A holiday movie you could watch every year?
- Best gift you ever got under $20?
- Mornings or late nights?
- A fun fact your Santa probably doesn’t know?
- If you had a free Saturday, how would you spend it?
- Socks as a gift: thrilling or tragic?
- One word that describes your desk, car or kitchen right now?
Questions for coworkers, family and kids
Same game, different crowd. Here’s what to add or drop.
| Group | Add | Drop |
|---|---|---|
| Coworkers | Desk or office favorites, coffee order, favorite lunch spot | Clothing sizes, anything about religion, money or relationships |
| Family | Wish list link, sizes, books or games they already own | Coffee order (you know it already) |
| Friends | Favorite bar snack or restaurant, a “treat yourself” item | Desk questions |
| Kids (ages 6 to 12) | Favorite animal, color, book, game, sport, and “something you want to learn” | Sizes, gift cards, anything that needs an adult to answer |
| Classroom | Favorite subject, favorite recess game, favorite snack (with allergy check by the teacher) | Wish lists and brand names, so no gift outshines another |
For kids, send the questionnaire home with a note to parents and set a firm budget in dollars, not “something small.” Parents read “small” very differently.
How to run a Secret Santa, step by step
- Get a yes from everyone. Make it opt-in, especially at work. Collect names by a set date.
- Set the budget and the date. One number, like $20 or $25, plus the day gifts are due and the day of the reveal.
- Hand out the questionnaire. Give people two or three days to fill it in. Remote people can type answers into an email using the same questions.
- Draw names. See the fair-draw rules below.
- Pass along the answers. Each Santa gets the questionnaire of the person they drew, folded or in an envelope.
- Shop, wrap and label. Tags say who the gift is for, never who it’s from.
- Reveal. Open gifts together, then let each person guess their Santa before the Santa speaks up.
How to draw names fairly
The paper-in-a-hat method still works. Write every name on a slip, fold them the same way, and have each person draw one.
- Drew yourself? Put it back and draw again before you look at anyone else’s slip. If the last person is left with their own name, everyone redraws.
- Keep couples and roommates apart. Have the organizer draw for them, or use a free online name-drawing tool that lets you block pairs.
- Remote or mixed groups: the organizer draws everything privately and sends each person one message with their match and that person’s answers.
- Want a no-peek chain? Shuffle the names into a list. Each person gives to the name below theirs, and the last gives to the first. Nobody gets themselves, and the chain is easy to check.
If the organizer is also playing, the chain method is the fairest way for them to join without knowing everyone’s match. Have someone outside the group shuffle the list.
A Secret Santa timeline
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| 3 to 4 weeks before | Announce the swap, the budget and the reveal date. Collect sign-ups. |
| 3 weeks before | Hand out the questionnaire. Set a deadline two or three days out. |
| 2 to 3 weeks before | Draw names and send each Santa their person’s answers. |
| 1 week before | Reminder: budget, wrapping, labels “to” only. |
| Party day | Gifts go in one spot. Open them together, then guess the Santas. |
Ordering online? Three weeks covers most shipping, with room for a backup if a package goes missing.
Budget and gift etiquette
Pick one number and say it out loud. Ranges like “$15 to $30” lead to one person giving a $15 mug and another a $30 sweater, and the mug giver feels bad all night.
- At work, $15 to $25 is a common range. Lower is fine; the point is the guessing, not the gift.
- Stay within the budget, not just under it. A $3 gift in a $25 swap reads as an afterthought.
- Skip gag gifts unless the whole group agreed on a funny swap. Save those for a white elephant swap where everyone’s in on the joke.
- Food gifts need the allergy line checked twice.
- No alcohol in a work swap unless everyone’s questionnaire says it’s welcome.
Secret Santa games for the reveal
The reveal is the fun part, so give it a little structure.
Guess your Santa
Before anyone confesses, each person reads their gift tag and names who they think their Santa is. One point for a correct guess. Santas who stayed hidden all month get a point too.
Clue tags
Santas write a clue on the tag instead of their name, like “I sit closer to the window than you” or “I’ve known you since kindergarten.” The receiver gets three guesses.
Santa in the middle
For a big group, line up the gifts. Each person finds theirs, then everyone stands in a circle and walks over to the person they think is their Santa. Count how many people land in the right spot.
Want more stealing and swapping? The gift exchange section of our Christmas party games for adults has six swap games, and our office holiday party games cover swaps that work at work. You’ll find every holiday printable in our Christmas games section.
Secret Santa for groups that don’t all celebrate Christmas
The rules don’t need Santa at all. Plenty of offices call it a secret gift swap or “secret snowflake” and keep everything else the same. The questionnaire works as is; the only Christmas word on it is the title, and you can change that in the Game Maker before printing.
For a family party with little kids, keep the drawing for the grown-ups and let the kids pick names for each other with a parent’s help. Then add a few family Christmas games while the wrapping paper piles up.
Questions hosts ask
What questions should be on a Secret Santa questionnaire?
Favorite colors, scents and snacks, allergies, hobbies, sizes if people are comfortable, a favorite store and a 'please don't get me' line. Eight to twelve questions is plenty.
How much should you spend on Secret Santa?
Pick one number the whole group can manage. At work, $15 to $25 is common. Say the number, not a range, so gifts feel even.
What do you do if you draw your own name?
Put it back and draw again. If the last person ends up with their own name, everyone redraws, or use a shuffled chain where each person gives to the next name.
When should you draw names for Secret Santa?
Two to three weeks before the party. That gives people time to read the questionnaire, shop and ship online orders.
What is Secret Santa called at work?
Many offices call it a secret gift swap or secret snowflake. The rules stay the same.
By the Party Game Book editors. Every game here is free to print for personal, classroom and non-commercial use. How we make and check our games.
